A Saudi Arabian businessman has won an auction for a golden ticket to see football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi face off, with a bid of 10 million Saudi riyals (approximately $2.6 million). The ticket was for the Beyond Imagination event, which will open the Zuschlag Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The winner, Mushref Al-Ghamdi, the General Manager of real estate group AqarOne, will get to attend the opening ceremony, watch the game alongside General Authority for Entertainment (GEA) Chairman Turki Al Sheikh, and have a chance to meet Ronaldo and Messi, as well as PSG Argentina stars Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappé. Al-Ghamdi will also be able to enter both teams’ dressing rooms, attend the coronation ceremony and a group photo with the winning team.
The money from the successful bid will go to the Saudi charity Ehsan, which is dedicated to strengthening the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s leadership in development and charity work. The game will take place on January 19, and will be Ronaldo’s first encounter with Messi since Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League in December 2020. Ronaldo recently joined Al Nassr, while Messi has been Tourism Ambassador for Saudi Arabia since May 2022.
