Lionel Messi has been suspended for two weeks by PSG after travelling to Saudi Arabia without permission from the club.
Messi played the full 90 minutes before jetting off to Saudi Arabia.
Messi in Saudi Arabia
The former Barcelona star is thought to have asked to make the trip to undertake commercial work in his capacity as an ambassador for Saudi tourism, but was denied by PSG management.
Following a review by PSG, Messi faces a 14-day suspension by the club. In that time, he will not be permitted to play for or train with his PSG teammates.
While in Saudi Arabia the Messi family spent the first day of their holiday visiting an authentic Saudi farm, away from the fast pace of the city.
The family witnessed a palm weaving demonstration against the backdrop of majestic palm trees – a symbol of prosperity in Saudi.
The Kingdom’s palm trees produce over 1.5m tonnes of dates annually – which are a central part of Saudi cuisine.
The footballer’s family are said to have enjoyed playing and feeding the Arabian gazelle.
The Argentinian shared an image of the “unexpected wonders” of the Kingdom with his more than 450m Instagram followers on Sunday, before jetting in to see the country for himself.
The PSG star has had previous experience with Saudi Arabia as a tourism ambassador, having travelled to the country for promotional activities on several occasions.
A post on the World Cup winner’s official Instagram account said: “Who thought Saudi has so much green? I love to explore its unexpected wonders whenever I can.”
On Monday Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al Khateeb welcomed the iconic player to the Kingdom.
In a message on social media he said: “I am happy to welcome Saudi Tourism Ambassador Lionel #Messi and his family on his second vacation in Saudi.
“We are happy to share our authentic Saudi welcome with you all”.
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