Lionel Messi was reportedly offered a whopping £16-million-a-week contract from the Saudi Pro League in the summer of 2023.

The offer put forward to Messi would have made his salary even more substantial than that of 900-goal man Cristiano Ronaldo – Riyadh's current poster boy. However, Messi chose to bask in the Florida sun at Inter Miami instead.

The 37-year-old Argentinian dealt a blow to the Gulf state when he rejected a potential move to Al-Hilal, who added his former Barcelona and PSG team-mate Neymar to their squad a month later. He instead followed in the footsteps of David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic by heading to the US.

Beckham's expansion team approved in 2017 staged a coup for the icon and handed him his current contract, which is as lucrative as one might expect, earning him an estimated base salary of £9m. It also includes several other perks that sweeten the deal, reports the Express, and could be reasoning for rejecting Saudi advances.

The footballing legend was reportedly set to receive in excess of £800million-a-year if he had chosen to go to the Middle East. It seemed almost certain he would sign on the dotted line, too, especially after his former club PSG - majority owned by the Qatari-government-backed Qatar Sports Investments - suspended him for missing a training session to fly to Saudi Arabia.

However, they were turned down, and a reunion of former Barcelona players took place at Inter Miami instead. Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Saurez all left their clubs to join Messi on the East Coast.

The details of why such a lucrative proposal was rebuffed remains a mystery, but speculation suggests that the attractive package included in his MLS contract might have influenced his decision.

The Argentine wizard's current deal, set to run until 2025, is believed to secure him a cool £15.5m, combining his base wage and an ownership stake in the Miami-based team. This is sweetened by additional deals with Apple - who broadcast MLS games - and Adidas, potentially pushing his earnings over two-and-a-half years past £110m per annum.

Despite this arrangement, Messi could have pocketed even more had he opted for Al-Hilal. So, it seems money wasn't the driving factor behind his choice, despite of course holding some bearing.

Messi's moral position regarding the oil-affluent nation isn't in question either, given his ongoing three-year contract with Saudi Arabia's Tourism Authority, which will bag him £19m. True insights into his decision emerged when he spoke to Mundo Deportivo and Sport.

"I'm at a point where I want to step out of the spotlight a bit, think more about my family," Messi revealed. "I had two years where I was so unhappy on a personal level that I didn't enjoy it.

"I had that month that was spectacular for me because of winning the World Cup, but apart from that, it was a difficult period for me. I want to rediscover joy, enjoy my family, my children, the day-to-day."

Messi's family is said to love the coastal charm and lifestyle of Miami. Although a move to the Middle East could have significantly boosted his earnings, Messi continues to serve as an ambassador for the Gulf state, simultaneously catering to the needs of his wife and three sons, while also tapping into the US market for Riyadh.