Lionel Messi in a campaign for a Saudi fashion brand/Sayyar
Argentinian footballer Leo Messi, a player for Inter Miami from the MLS, has become the face of a traditional and important luxury clothing brand from Saudi Arabia, a country where he has been a tourism ambassador for several years.
The Sayyar fashion brand posted on social media several photos of Messi dressed in traditional Saudi clothing, with the big star dressed in a white tunic and wearing a traditional "shamag" - the red-and-white headscarf used to cover the head in many Gulf countries.
With the "Luxury, Elegance, Timeless" logo, Messi introduced the brand's new line, which on his X account urged potential customers to "wear the shamrock just like the GOAT (Greatest of All Time)."
From mid-2022, Messi was the tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia, a country that in recent years has invested billions of dollars to innovate and attract major sporting events around the world.
Part of the Saudis' sportwashing.
Messi/official website, sayyargcc
The partnership between the Argentinian and Saudi Arabia provoked many criticisms from football fans, as well as human rights organizations, who condemn Saudi Arabia for doing "sportwashing" and trying to improve its image through such deals and sponsorships.
On social networks, as expected, many condemned Messi, an athlete who is known to earn hundreds of millions of euros a year from salary and sponsorships, and still chose to promote a Saudi society, with Muslim clothing, far from Argentine culture.
Remember, Messi received the World Cup in Qatar wearing a black robe, a traditional Qatari dress, and received harsh criticism.
"He had no problem wearing a Qatari robe, now a Saudi compulsion, with an orange beard, the main thing is that the money comes in," they wrote on social media, where they called Messi "greedy" and wondered why many soccer fans mocked Ronaldo's choice to play in Saudi Arabia, while Messi's deals Accepting with understanding.
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