A football fan in Saudi Arabia paid $2.6 million for a VIP ticket to see Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi go head-to-head in an exhibition match.
The exhibition match was played at King Fahd International Stadium on Thursday featuring Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain and a team consisting of players from Ronaldo’s Al Nassr and Al Hilal.
A special “Beyond Imagination” ticket for the match was auctioned off by the Saudi government’s entertainment arm promising the winner the opportunity to meet Ronaldo and Messi, as well as access to the team dressing rooms and trophy award.
مبروك … أعلى عرض بمزاد التذكرة الخيرية “فوق الخيال” … اللي قدمه رجل الأعمال العقاري مشرف الغامدي @mushref999 المدير العام لـ #عقار1 … ريع التذكرة كاملًا لإحسان @EhsanSA 🙏❤️#موسم_الرياض pic.twitter.com/3XART4ngbf
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) January 17, 2023
Bidding for the “Beyond Imagination” ticket reportedly began at 1 million Saudi riyals ($266,000) before closing at 10 million riyals ($2.6 million).
معالي رئيس مجلس الإدارة @Turki_alalshikh يتوّج بطل #كاس_موسم_الرياض فريق باريس سان جيرمان 🏆⚽️#RiyadhSeasonCup pic.twitter.com/42uPnVSCvn
— الهيئة العامة للترفيه (@GEA_SA) January 19, 2023
Hundreds of millions of euros worth of footballers were on view for the exhibition game in the Saudi capital, which comes just weeks after neighbouring Qatar spent lavishly on the first World Cup on Arab soil, won by Messi’s Argentina.
So happy to be back on the pitch, and on the score sheet!! And nice to see some old friends!👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/qZqKGHsrVD
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) January 19, 2023
