A Saudi businessman has successfully bid 10 million Saudi riyals ($2.6 million) to obtain a golden ticket for an exclusive match featuring Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment (GEA) in Saudi Arabia, Turki Al Sheikh, revealed that Mushref Al-Ghamdi, who manages the real estate company AqarOne, won the auction for the “Beyond Imagination” ticket.
This ticket grants the holder access to Paris Saint-Germain’s friendly against a team composed of players from Saudi clubs Al Hilal and Al Nassr, Ronaldo’s new team.
According to a video shared on Al Sheikh’s Twitter, the ticket includes numerous perks: attending the opening ceremony, watching the game beside the GEA chairman, and meeting Ronaldo, Messi, and PSG stars Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappé.
Al-Ghamdi will join a gala lunch, visit both teams’ locker rooms, take part in the crowning ceremony, and appear in a group photo with the winning team.
Al Sheikh mentioned that the funds from the auction would support the Saudi charity Ehsan, which focuses on enhancing the Kingdom’s role in development and charitable initiatives.
The match on January 19 in Riyadh will be the first Ronaldo-Messi showdown since Juventus triumphed over Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League in December 2020.
Ronaldo recently joined Al Nassr after the World Cup, and Messi has been a tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia since May 2022.