If soccer star Kylian Mbappe doesn’t want to take the leap to play in Saudi Arabia, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo joked that he’ll take his place.
Al-Hilal, a Saudi Arabian soccer team, made a record $332 million bid for Mbappe on Monday, following the recent move by Lionel Messi to Inter Miami of Major League Soccer in the United States. Cristiano Ronaldo became the first superstar to join the league with Al-Nassr for a contract worth more than $220 million for just one season.
Mbappe’s current team, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), confirmed the offer while giving All-Hilal the opportunity to speak with him directly.
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Kylian Mbappe (Reuters / Lee Smith / File)
While Mbappe is surely on the way out of PSG, he hasn’t made his decision on where he’d like to continue his soccer career, which led the “Greek Freak” to put his name out there in a hilarious tweet.
“Al Hilal you can take me. I look like Kylian Mbappe,” Antetokounmpo posted with a picture of himself smiling.
Mbappe appreciated the joke, quote tweeting Antetokounmpo’s post with a bunch of laughing emojis.
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Antetokounmpo doesn’t have to worry much about his contract with the Bucks, as he’s in the middle of his five-year, $228 million contract. However, earning $332 million for just one season is something no athlete would neglect on the table.
Mbappe chose not to take up his 12-month extension option with PSG, and he intends to become a free agent at the end of PSG’s upcoming season.
Real Madrid is currently the front-runner to land him, and they previously sent a bid to PSG at $190 million in 2021. It was rejected at the time.
Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain, left, celebrates after scoring during the French Ligue 1 match against AC Ajaccio at Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris on May 13, 2023. (Mustafa Yalcin / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Mbappe rose to stardom with PSG after signing with them in 2017 from Monaco in a transfer that was worth $190 million. Since then, he’s become one of the major stars of the sport worldwide, winning a World Cup in 2018 and almost bringing France back against Messi’s Argentina team last year before losing in a penalty shootout.
But a new deal is highly unlikely now for the 24-year-old Mbappe and PSG, as the situation remains tense in the building.
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In Saudi Arabia, it isn’t just Ronaldo that joined the league. France is heavily involved as Karim Benzema, the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner for the best soccer player in the world and Mbappe’s France national team compatriot, agreed to join Al-Ittihad last month. N’Golo Kante also joined him.
Others, including Roberto Firmino, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marcel Brozovic, are heading to the league as well.
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is shown before a game against the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum on March 16, 2023, in Milwaukee. (John Fisher / Getty Images)
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Saudi Arabia has been pouring money internationally in sports, with its historic partnership with the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf creating waves globally. Many say the Saudi government is “sportswashing,” or leveraging sports to clean up its image in terms of the kingdom’s executions, civil rights policies and more.
