What is Messi doing in Saudi Arabia?

Go on vacation. Recently, Saudi officials announced the appointment of Messi as Saudi tourism ambassador. Messi also recently took advantage of the team's holiday to come to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to meet with the Saudi tourism minister and spend a holiday in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed khatib said: "I am very happy that Messi came to Saudi Arabia to explore the treasures of the Red Sea and feel our ancient history. This is not the first time he has come to Saudi Arabia, nor will it be the last time. "

Interestingly, Messi takes his younger brother and Parisian teammate paredes with him everywhere. Messi took photos of himself on the yacht on social media and wrote: "Explore the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia." However, the cooperation between Messi and Saudi Arabia has also caused some controversy.

Foreign media analysis said that this cooperative relationship between Saudi Arabia and Messi is not surprising, and they continue to promote the "soft power" strategy to restore their image. But the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the owner of Greater Paris, is delicate. These two countries have been competitors since 1990s, and they were in opposition to each other in the Gulf crisis from 20 17 to 202 1.

For three years, Qatar has been boycotted by its neighbors. Although relations between the two countries were restored last year and tensions in the region eased, it is hard to imagine that Doha would authorize Messi and Saudi Arabia to reach such an agreement.