A Saudi businessman has paid $2.6m (SR10,000,000) for a VIP ticket to watch an all-star team captained by Cristiano Ronaldo take on Lionel Messi’s PSG in Riyadh.
UPDATE: Ronaldo v Messi match in Saudi Arabia a 9-goal thriller – see full match report
It thought to be the most expensive football match ticket ever bought and was part of a fundraising venture launched by Turki Al-Sheikh, the head of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority.
Al Sheikh started the bidding at €250,000 ($268,000) and has been updating Twitter followers throughout the week. The match will see an all-star Saudi Arabia league team made up of players from Al Nassr and Al Hilal take on PSG, with Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and more world stars.
Saudi VIP football ticket
Proceeds from the VIP ticket sale will be donated to Saudi Arabia’s Ehsan charity fund.
On Saturday the bidding reached $2.6m (SR10,000,000) with a bid from real estate businessman Musharraf bin Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, General Manager of the Aqar One group of companies and it has not been topped.
Al Sheikh confirmed that Al-Ghamdi’s bid was the winner in a Twitter post on Tuesday night.
It means the real estate boss now has a very special match ticket that grants VIP access to the stadium as well as the opportunity to meet the players, go into changing rooms and even be a part of the winning team photo.
Full VIP Ronaldo v Messi matchday ticket benefits include:
- Opportunity to meet Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, and Mbappé
- Attending the opening ceremony
- VIP match seats alongside Turki Al Sheikh
- Gala lunch
- Exclusive entrance to both teams matchday changing rooms
- Trophy award access
- Team photo with winning side
The match will be played in Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd International Stadium on Thursday, January 19.
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