The Saudi government's entertainment arm said on Twitter that Mushref Al-Ghamdi, general manager of real estate group AqarOne, was the highest bidder for a "Beyond Imagination" ticket. The winner will attend Thursday's match in Riyadh featuring a combined team from Saudi clubs Al Nassr - who recently signed Ronaldo - and Al Hilal versus Messi's Paris St Germain in the duo's first on-pitch meeting since Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0 in December 2020. Though revenue from the auction will go to charity, the event could also fuel accusations of "sportswashing" by Saudi Arabia -- distracting attention from rights abuses by splashing money on sport. As well as attracting Ronaldo, Saudi Arabia have signed up Messi as a tourism ambassador. Paris St Germain is owned by the Qatari government, which has just staged the World Cup.

Source: Egypt Today January 20, 2023 11:56 UTC