
<p>A soccer fan has paid around $2.6 million for a ticket to watch Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo face off. The match between <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/teams/psg-tv-schedule/">Paris Saint-Germain</a> and Saudi Arabian All-Stars is set for Thursday, Jan. 19. Players from Al Hilal and Ronaldo’s club Al Nassr will fill out the Saudi side.</p>



<p>Bidding for the VIP ticket supposedly started at about $260,000. However, Saudi businessman Mushref Al-Ghamdi eventually paid ten times this amount in the end. <em><a href="https:\/\/www.cnn.com/2023/01/18/football/saudi-bidder-wins-ticket-cristiano-ronaldo-vs-lionel-messi-spt-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CNN</a></em> reports that Al-Ghamdi is the general manager of a real estate company called AqarOne. </p>



<h2>Pricey ticket includes incredible access to both Messi and Ronaldo</h2>



<p>Along with the actual ticket to the game, the businessman will also get to meet Messi and Ronaldo after the match. In fact, post-game locker room access grants Al-Ghamdi the ability to meet and great with the entire PSG team. He will also attend a gala lunch, as well as the trophy presentation of the winning team for the friendly match.</p>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here are the details about Beyond Imagination ticket bidding…It will end on the 17th of Jan at 11:30 PM KSA time. The money will go to charity (Ehsan) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/EhsanSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EhsanSA</a>. So far we reached 700 thousand Euros. <a href="https:\/\/t.co/FDMtSkwSBT">pic.twitter.com/FDMtSkwSBT</a></p>— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/Turki_alalshikh/status/1612535866081284096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https:\/\/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Saudi officials claim that the money raised for the ticket auction will go to charity. <a href="https:\/\/ehsan.sa/home/about">Ehsan</a>, the organization’s charity of choice, is wide-ranging non-profit that helps Saudi citizens in multiple ways. The charity aids economical, educational, and environmental work, as well as with health care.</p>



<h5>Friendly will be first look at Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia</h5>



<p>The friendly game on Thursday will be Ronaldo’s first time on the pitch with some of his Al Nassr teammates. Ronaldo joined the Saudi club last month. A suspension prevented his debut following an incident in England back in April. The 37-year-old departed <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/teams/manchester-united-tv-schedule/">Manchester United</a> in November after he and the club agreed to a mutual termination of his contract.</p>



<p>Messi has not faced off against Ronaldo since a UEFA <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/champions-league-tv-schedule/">Champions League</a> match in December of 2020. Ronaldo’s <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/teams/juventus-tv-schedule/">Juventus</a> beat Messi’s <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/teams/barcelona-tv-schedule/">Barcelona</a> 3-0 on the night. Many consider the duo the sport’s top two players of their generation.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Nicolo Campo</em></p>


A Saudi Arabian businessman has reportedly paid $2.6 million for a VIP ticket to watch a friendly match that includes Messi and Ronaldo.

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Fan pays $2.6 million for VIP ticket to watch Messi vs Ronaldo