Premier League legend Steven Gerrard has revealed his dream of recruiting Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi for Saudi Arabia.
The former Liverpool and LA Galaxy midfielder was surprisingly appointed manager of Al-Ettifaq last year having recently managed the likes of Scottish giants Rangers and Premier League side Aston Villa, with Gerrard still in the Middle East.
With Saudi Arabia last year embarking on a huge spending spree into soccer, Messi reportedly turned down a record-breaking $1.5bn contract to make the move, with the Argentine instead opting to sign for Inter Miami.
Yet Gerrard has now outlined a dream plan to sign Messi for Al-Ettifaq.
Gerrard lays out ‘dream’ to bring Messi to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq
Speaking to MBC MASR 2, Gerrard admitted that he has a ‘dream’ of signing Messi for Al-Ettifaq, even with the former England international admitting that such a move would now be difficult for the Saudi Arabia side.
With Messi loving his football at Inter Miami and the reigning Ballon d’Or holder, the odds of the 37-year-old attacker making the move to Saudi Arabia at this stage in his career feel close to zero.
Yet that hasn’t stopped the likes of Gerrard from drumming up Saudi Arabia interest in signing Messi, even with the attack contracted to Inter Miami and likely to play out the rest of his career in Florida.
Gerrard said: “It’s a dream for me to have Messi at Al-Ettifaq. He is an incredible player and would be a great asset for the club. I know it’s difficult for him to move to Saudi Arabia, but there’s nothing wrong with dreaming.”
Messi leaving Inter Miami for any club now would be ridiculous
At 37-years-old, the prospect of Messi leaving Inter Miami, even with how incredible the attacker still is, is nothing short of ridiculous, especially with the Argentine as settled as he is at Chase Stadium.
Messi clearly enjoys playing for Inter Miami and has made it obvious with his performances this year that he is keen to build a legacy with the Florida franchise, with MLS Cup and the Supporters’ Shield on the line.
As a result, the prospect of a move to Saudi Arabia, or elsewhere for that matter, should be shot down, with big names in soccer like Gerrard now starting to drum up potential interest.
