Messi admits his attraction to join Saudi Pro League

New Delhi, Dec 6: Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has admitted he was attracted to joining Cristiano Ronaldo in 'very powerful' Saudi Pro League before his transfer to MLS.

During the summer, Messi left Paris Saint-Germain and signed a free transfer to join MLS team Inter Miami. Having won the Leagues Cup and enticed Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets to join the team, the World Cup champion has gone on to have a significant influence on American soccer.

Messi has now acknowledged that he seriously considered moving to the Middle East to follow his enduring rival Ronaldo, and that he did have the chance to move to the Saudi Pro League instead.

"My first option was to return to Barcelona, but it was not possible. I tried to return, and it did not happen. It is also true that later I was thinking a lot about going to the Saudi league, where I know the country and they have created a very powerful competition that can become an important league in the near future. It was Saudi Arabia or MLS, and both options seemed very interesting to me,” said Messi.