Saudi Mogul Pays More Than £2million At Auction To Watch Cristiano Ronaldo And Lionel Messi Match Today

An official reported that a Saudi real estate billionaire won a ticket to see Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi face off in a friendly after bidding $2.6 million at auction.

The match will be played in Riyadh on Thursday, January 19. Lionel Messi‘s Paris Saint-Germain will face a select team comprised of players from Cristiano Ronaldo’s new club Al Nassr and their Saudi rivals Al Hilal.

According to club sources, it will be Ronaldo’s first game in the kingdom since signing a contract with Al Nassr that extends through 2025 and is worth more than 200 million euros ($214 million). The five-time Ballon d’Or winner will make his Saudi Pro League debut for Al Nassr on Sunday.

Turki al-Sheikh, an adviser to the Royal Court and the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, proposed a charity auction for a unique ticket that would include privileges such as photo opportunities with players and access to the locker rooms to promote Thursday’s friendly.

The auction began at 1 million Saudi riyals ($266,000) and ended on Tuesday at 11:30 p.m. (20:30 GMT). Mushref al-winning Ghamdi’s bid of 10 million riyals ($2.6 million) was announced by Al-Sheikh on Twitter.

The auction revenues will be donated to the national charity campaign Ehsan. “Congratulations, you deserve it, and may God reward you with good,” Sheikh said.