Was the selection of Lionel Messi a blessing for Saudi Arabia? Instagram’s revenue kings forge huge sums with “total state propaganda”

One of the world’s greatest ever footballers and biggest sports stars, Lionel Messi was in a strange situation in the spring in many ways.

In particular, Messi’s close cooperation with Saudi Arabia and the move to Al-Hilal, which was considered certain by several sources, had inflamed his relationship with PSG fans, who booed the Argentine star in matches.

PSG also suspended Messi temporarily because he had traveled to Riyadh on a business trip, even though he should have been training. Messi is the official advertising face of Saudi Arabia.

Messi’s role as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia’s tourism became public on May 9, 2022, when he posted a marine shot on Instagram, where he said he admired the Red Sea and added the subject tag #VisitSaudi.

The New York Times was released in June The agreement between Messi and Saudi Arabia. NYT has seen the contract between Messi and Saudi Arabia, but says that it does not have certain information if there are more recent versions of the contract.

Messi will receive 22.5 million euros in three years for his commercial cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

Ex-footballer Rayco Garcia Cabrera acted as an intermediary between Messi’s team and the Saudi Arabian authorities. He stated that money was not important to Messi, but he agreed to be an ambassador because he “believes in Saudi Arabia and the vision of Saudi Arabia”.

The giants of Instagram

Moved to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia at the turn of the year Cristiano Ronaldo with around 600 million followers and Messi with around 483 million are the most popular people on Instagram.

Social marketing expert company Hopper HQ published by recently announced its annual listing, which was widely reported. Ronaldo was chosen as Instagram’s “income king” for the third year in a row.

In addition to the top two, Ronaldo and Messi, two athletes made it to the top 20: the Indian cricket great Virat Kohli and Brazilian soccer player Neymarwho recently moved to Al-Hilal.

Three of the four most valuable athletes on Instagram – and the three most valuable soccer players – now also post on Instagram on behalf of Saudi Arabia.

“It’s state propaganda”

The role of social media has been emphasized even more in the case of Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries that practice sportswear.

Sports washing is about a soft use of power, such as an effort to use sports to erase the image of a very conservative state and human rights violations.

Saudi Arabia is trying its best to take advantage of globally popular sports star brands, but only a small part of what kind of offers it has made has leaked to the public, notes the docent of media culture at the University of Tampere Sami Kolamo.

In the case of Saudi Arabia, Kolamo would not talk so much about rebranding.

– It is state propaganda. Precisely comprehensive, total state propaganda, states Kolamo, who has, among other things, investigated Fifa’s corruption and written the book Riistopallo’s World Cup in Qatar.

Comprehensiveness means that the social media platforms of superstars are just one part of Saudi Arabia’s exercise of soft power through sports. It is connected with the big events and tours that the country covers and, for example, the acquisition of the Premier League club Newcastle.

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The subject is also fundamentally related to the change in the media landscape. The media has become social media-oriented, whereby traditional media often pick up on the writings of social media stars and pick the best of them for their own channels.

– State propaganda always works through the laws of society that are common at the time, Kolamo points out.

– If Neymar takes posing pictures in the desert of Saudi Arabia, they will spread very widely through social media. He then works as a propaganda worker, of course for a fee.

In addition, emotionality is emphasized in social media’s sports imagery, as is usually the case in sports culture. Through their personal brand, sports stars can emotionally bind their followers to a specific sports club or country.

– Sport becomes a stronger dramatic effect. The important thing is that sport is a serial narrative. It’s continuous and plot-driven. It’s not quite the same in TV series and movies.

– When you can immerse yourself in that story, the media visibility is massive compared to any other cultural product.

It is clear that Saudi Arabia has revolutionized the sports world in recent years through its sovereign wealth fund, PIF. In addition to football, it can be seen in motor sports, boxing and golf, among others.

Read more: PIF has already messed up the sports world, but the future is just dizzying – this is what it’s all about in a fund that covets assets of two trillion

Saudi Arabia wants to reform its oil-dependent economy and reshape its public image. At the same time, from a human rights perspective, Saudi Arabia is considered one of the weakest countries in the world.

In measuring the government’s torture, political murders, forced labor and freedom of movement, religion, expression and association in the human rights index the best reading is 1 and the worst is 0. Last year, Saudi Arabia’s reading was 0.14. Only seven countries were found behind it.

That’s why Saudi Arabia, like other countries in the Middle East, is associated with sports underwear. Professor Hannu Juusola previously told Urheilu that, despite certain reforms, critics have less space than before in Saudi Arabia and democratic development has gone backwards.

According to The New York Times, Messi’s contract contains interesting insider information about how the Kingdom seeks to promote its reputation. Messi must not say anything that might “taint” the reputation of Saudi Arabia.

What is the significance of Messi’s move to Miami for Saudi Arabia?

It is certain that the money Messi now receives from Saudi Arabia is a pittance compared to what he would have earned by moving to Al-Hilal.

The readings circulating in the media during the spring were varied, but the most common estimate was that Messi would have received a salary of 400 million dollars, or about 368 million euros per year.

Ronaldo Earns about 200 million euros a year at Al-Nassr and transferred to Al-Ittihad Karim Benzema almost the same amount.

In the end, however, Messi chose the North American MLS series and Inter Miami. Messi himself pointed out that he would have gone to Saudi Arabia if it was about money.

The Miami move was seen both as a setback for Saudi Arabia’s vision and as a victory for Messi’s image. Although many of the best football players of recent years are already playing in Saudi Arabia, the fact that Messi and Ronaldo would have been seen in the same league again would have been an incomparable crown for the country and its business life.

The Guardian published in mid-August article that Messi’s choice was not a silent protest against Saudi Arabia’s repressive policies towards women, freedom of speech and the LGBTQ community, but that Messi’s family is better off on the beaches of Miami.

Messi will continue as Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambassador, and when he does it now on US soil, it can also be a blessing for the Saudi leaders.

“Messi’s growing popularity in the United States could benefit the Kingdom as it continues to expand its soft power and rebrand itself as an attractive destination for tourists,” the Guardian wrote.

Saudi Arabia has opened a PIF subsidiary in New York and has been using the services of PR firms for years to promote its foreign policy and tourism interests in the United States.

Kolamo continues to emphasize comprehensiveness and repetition, as the sports series continue week after week and year after year.

– Saudi Arabia tries to use sports to get its message seen on as many channels as possible and on different continents. Sports stars themselves are a media initiator, followers are everywhere.

– The same type of images are repeated, circulate to traditional media and back to social media. There will be the desired imagery that Saudi Arabia wants.

According to Kolamo, the change in fan culture also plays a role, which is why the social media practiced by Saudi Arabia goes through better.

Neymar cheekless bonuses

Neymar, who shines on Instagram, has lost his playing aura after the brass moved from Barcelona to PSG in 2017 for a world record sum of 222 million euros.

The contract signed by Neymar with Al-Hilal lasts until 2025.

Estimates of Neymar’s salary vary. Among other things, a well-known supplier of football transfers Fabrizio Romano and Sky Sports by Neymar receives around 150 million euros a year, but the amount can rise to 200 million with bonuses, i.e. Ronaldo’s level.

ESPN write From 100 million dollars a year (about 91.6 million euros) and L’Equipe tells from 80 million euros.

Of course, it could be, as L’Equipe sees, that 80 million euros was the first offer, but the amount has since increased.

In any case, it is clear that Neymar’s earnings are clearly higher than the basic salary. Details of possible bonuses and additional services has told French magazine Foot Mercato.

Neymar receives half a million euros for each of his Instagram posts promoting Saudi Arabia. Neymar can continue to make money with his own commercial rights as well. He gets to use a private plane like Ronaldo.

British tabloid The Sun laid out even hotter details about Neymar’s contract. According to the magazine, he immediately got three luxury cars for himself and four cars for his friends, the chauffeur is available around the clock. Neymar’s house has three saunas and five employees who cook and make sure the fridge stays full.