Paris Saint-Germain’s Argentine forward Lionel Messi (left) walks past Riyadh All-Star’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (right) during the Riyadh Season Cup football match between the Riyadh All-Stars and Paris Saint-Germain at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on January 19, 2023.
(AFP/Franck Fife)
A
showdown between two of the world's greatest footballers provided an entertaining spectacle in Riyadh but deep-pocketed Saudi Arabia will not stop there in its drive to burnish its image through sport.
Deafening fireworks closed Thursday's exhibition between Lionel Messi's Paris Saint-Germain and a composite team led by Saudi Pro League new arrival Cristiano Ronaldo, won 5-4 by the visitors.
The friendly had all the trimmings of a major fixture, complete with VAR, flame-throwers, tickertape and a medal presentation in front of more than 60,000 fans at the venerable King Fahd Stadium.
But the desert kingdom is already promising more with a World Cup and Summer Olympics, perhaps even a Winter Olympics, already in its sights, together with a swathe of other major events.
"This is a big match but… this is nothing (compared to) what will happen with Vision 2030," said Turki Al Sheikh, head of the General Entertainment Authority, referring to Saudi Arabia's ambitious development plan.
Just five years after allowing its first non-Muslim tourists and letting women drive, Saudi Arabia is attempting to open up its conservative, long-cloistered society to the world.
The world's biggest oil exporter has thrown hundreds of millions at sports deals including Ronaldo's capture, F1 in Jeddah and the lucrative LIV Golf tour, drawing frequent claims it is "sportswashing" its human rights record.