A vicious mockery of Lionel Messi by Al Hilal
For the Riyadh Season Cup 2024, Al Hilal hosted Inter Miami of the Major League Soccer on Monday night. Prior to the 2024 Major League Soccer season, Messi and his team have a pre-season match. As for Al Hilal, the game is a mid-season encounter because the Saudi Professional League is now off.
With just ten minutes remaining, Aleksandar Mitrovic, a former star of the Premier League, handed the Saudi Arabian team the lead. Abdullah Al Hamdan’s goal barely three minutes later increased Al Hilal’s lead.
After that, in the 37th minute, Luis Suarez scored to cut the lead in half. But Michael’s strike in the 44th minute gave Al Hilal a two-goal lead again right before the half. Al Hilal cruelly ridiculed Messi on social media by sharing a photo of the Argentine on the ground following Ruben Neves’ challenge.
“Leo, don’t worry. You’re not the first. #RollsRuben,” the account stated.
The Saudi Professional League, which initially lured Cristiano Ronaldo to Al Nassr in January 2023, has managed to draw in some very big names. A number of players, including Roberto Firmino, Fabinho, Neymar, Riyad Mahrez, and Karim Benzema, relocated to the Middle East during the summer transfer season.
But not every player can adjust to their new environment; Jordan Henderson, a former captain of Liverpool, left Al Ettifaq after just six months. The Englishman announced, “I’m sad to say that I will be leaving Al Ettifaq with immediate effect,” after signing with the Dutch team Ajax. Though I don’t think it’s the greatest choice for my family and me, it wasn’t an easy one.
This is my chance to express my gratitude to the club and the supporters for their unwavering support throughout my stay. From Day One on, I truly felt the love. “I’ll continue to watch and wish you well. I wish you well going forward.