Quote from: Razmirraz on Today at 03:10:30 AM

Quote from: Smack That Ace on Today at 12:01:27 AM

I don’t understand why people say that Messi should retire in Barcelona. Because Lionel Messi has achieved everything that can be achieved in football. Now it will be much more important for him to actually get a really huge salary towards the end of his career. That’s why I believe he should go and play for the Saudi League. 400, million is a huge amount of money. Unless Barcelona is giving him at least 200 million, I will say Lionel Messi should go into the Saudi League. Lionel Messi has also achieved, almost everything with Barcelona. Really is no solid reason for him to go back again.

For players like Lionel Messi, money is no longer the main goal in playing football. It's true he's won everything in Europe, including money. All the luxuries he has are the result of his hard work as a soccer player. An offer from the Arab League is difficult for anyone to refuse, Ronaldo, who wants to continue his career in Europe to be able to play again in the UCL, cannot refuse a large salary offer from the Arab League.

Messi current situation makes it very possible for him to survive on the European stage, apart from Barcelona who still really want his services, Manchester City are also trying to persuade Messi to land at the Etihad stadium. I think Messi will continue to play in European competition even though the salary received is smaller than that offered in the Arab League, because the level of European competition is far above Asian competition.

Money can always be or become a goal again, that is very relative. From a political or moral perspective, I don't understand why Ronaldo went to Saudi Arabia and play in a country where human rights are worth shit. From a financial standpoint, he must be absolutely crazy to deny an offer where he can earn in 2.5 years what he has earned in 20 years before that. It is so much money that it becomes relevant again. If someone offered Elon Musk 10x of his net worth for Tesla, I am not sure what he would do. It is always relative. We normal human beings would think that at some point enough is enough, but that's perhaps not how it works.

It remains to be seen how Messi will decide as I am really interested in his decision and whether he has the guts to decline an offer paying him 400 million a year. Does he need the money? No. But that's not the point.