The audacity
Al Hilal striker Michael couldn’t resist a sly dig at Lionel Messi as he chose to perform Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic celebration during their friendly with Inter Miami.
Both sides went up against each other in a friendly at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday evening.
Inter Miami fielded a strong line-up that featured the likes of Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez but it was Al Hilal who raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Aleksandr Mitrovic and Abdullah Al-Hamdan.
Suarez pulled a goal back just before the half-hour mark but Michael then restored the Saudi Pro League leaders’ lead in the 44th minute.
Michael then performed the iconic ‘Siu’ celebration, which even Messi turned around to get a little glimpse at the celebration.
Messi was close to joining Al Hilal last summer before eventually choosing to make the move to the US and join Inter Miami.
The Saudi side reportedly offered him a €1.5bn salary across a two-year deal, however he opted to reject it.
He explained his decision to
Mundo Deportivo and Sport newspapers: “I made the decision that I’m going to go to Miami.
“I still haven’t closed it 100%. I’m still missing a few things, but we decided to go ahead. If Barcelona didn’t work out, I wanted to leave Europe, get out of the spotlight and think more about my family.”
Miami and Messi are currently in the Gulf Kingdom as part of a two-game tour before their league season gets underway next month and are set to face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr on Thursday.
Related links:
- Ayemeric Laporte admits that players are disillusioned with life in Saudi Arabia
- Another high-profile star wants to leave Saudi Arabia after six months
- Players are ‘hating every minute’ of big-money Saudi move
