Lionel Messi has become the face of a major traditional clothing brand in Saudi Arabia. Actually, it is known that the Argentine star is the ambassador of tourism in this country.

Lionel MessiPhoto: Gustavo Garello/AP/Profimedia

Clothing brand Sayyar posted a photo shoot on its social media featuring the Argentinian dressed in typical Saudi attire, with Messi posing in a white tunic and the distinctive “shemagh”, a red and white printed scarf used to cover many people’s heads. Persian Gulf countries.

Under the slogan “Luxury, Elegance, All Time”, Messi presented the new line of this brand, which on his X account urged potential customers to “wear the shemagh just like the GOAT (not Greatest Of All Time, the best of all). time)”, i.e. Messi.

The purchase price of a shemagh is about 300 Saudi riyals (about $80), while the brand has other accessories and even exclusive fragrances for men, according to Sayyar’s website.

From mid-2022, Messi is the tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia, a country that has invested billions of dollars in recent years to modernize and attract the main sporting events around the world, as well as the most symbolic footballers such as Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema.

However, the association between the kingdoms of Saudi Arabia and Argentina has also drawn a lot of criticism from football fans, as well as human rights organizations, which condemn Saudi Arabia for trying to wash its image through such sponsorship, according to Agerpres.