Lionel Messi earned $122m last year. He still felt the need to take Saudi money

Less than a year after signing with Paris Saint-Germain – one of Qatar’s most prominent sportswashing projects – Lionel Messi is now the face of yet another oppressive Middle Eastern monarchy.

The Argentinian was unveiled as the latest tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia during a trip to Jeddah, a port city along the Red Sea, on Monday.

“This is not his first visit to the kingdom and it will not be the last,” said Ahmed al-Khateeb, the kingdom’s minister of tourism, in a tweet with images of Messi being welcomed at King Abdulaziz International Airport.

I am pleased to welcome Lionel Messi to Saudi Arabia We are excited for you to explore the treasures of the Red Sea, the Jeddah Season and our ancient history.This is not his first visit to the Kingdom and it will not be the last! @VisitSaudiNow pic.twitter.com/RDfxFIRjrt

Messi, who was accompanied by his Argentina and PSG teammate Leandro Paredes, later posted a picture of himself relaxing on a yacht while watching the sunset. “Discovering the Red Sea #VisitSaudi,” read the caption on the post, which was marked as a “paid partnership” with Visit Saudi, a subsidiary of the Saudi Tourism Authority.

Messi was later accompanied by Princess Haifa Al-Saud, assistant minister of tourism, as they toured various parts of old Jeddah. “I am glad that he was mesmerized by its essence, heritage and beauty,” Princess Haifa later wrote on Twitter.

The first thing to point out is that Messi does not need to take whatever incredibly large sum Saudi Arabia has thrown his way. Last year alone he made $122m through salary and sponsorship, making him the second-highest paid athlete in the world behind LeBron James. Simply put, Messi has enough money that his future grandchildren won’t need to