Top 7 football stars who rejected huge Saudi Arabia contracts

Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in luring top football players with extremely lucrative contracts. Five-time Ballond'Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, is one notable example.

In December last year, the Portuguese icon penned a record £173 million per year contract with Al-Nassr, making him the highest-paid footballer in history.

Karim Benzema has left Real Madrid to join Al-Ittihad, with Goal suggesting that N'Golo Kante is on the verge of joining his fellow Frenchman in Jeddah.

While certain players have joined Saudi Arabian clubs for next to no price, the Gulf nation is willing to pay significant sums of money for top football stars.

Wolves midfielder, Ruben Neves - for instance - is supposedly close to signing for Al-Hilal for £47mil.

However, despite the enormous financial incentives, there are players who have declined the opportunity to play football in the Middle Eastern country.

Lionel Messi

The Argentine maestro has left Paris Saint-Germain to join David Beckham's Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer.

Although there were talks of the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner reigniting his rivalry with Ronaldo by signing for Al-Hilal, Messi chose the MLS for a more enjoyable day-to-day life.

According to reports, the Barcelona legend rejected Al-Hilal's staggering £1bil offer, which would have made him the highest-paid athlete of all-time.

Bernardo Silva

The Manchester City playmaker is the latest high-profile player to reject a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia after Messi did the same earlier this month.

According to Express Sports, the Portuguese star has been heavily linked with a summer exit from the Etihad Stadium.

The 28-year-old is reportedly a target for European powerhouses, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, after helping City to clinch a historic treble last season.

Olivier Giroud

According to Nicolo Schira, an important offer from Saudi Arabia was also made to AC Milan forward, Olivier Giroud.

The report further stated the Frenchman was targeted by a yet-unnamed club that was looking to splash the cash in the summer for his services.

However, the French striker, who has had successful stints at Arsenal and Chelsea, reportedly turned it down as he wishes to continue playing in Europe despite his age of 36.

Neymar Junior

According to French reports, Neymar has rejected a mega-offer from Saudi Arabia. As reported by Daily Sports, a Saudi Arabian club have offered the Brazilian €400mil.

However, the Samba Boys star wants to either stay at Paris Saint-Germain or move to Manchester United. PSG is reportedly willing to sell the ex-Santos forward due to his high salary.

Luka Modric

The opportunity to reconnect with Ronaldo and Benzema in the summer was also extended to veteran Real Madrid superstar, Luka Modric. However, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner is said to have declined a €200mil offer from Al-Hilal.

The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder decided to spend one more season at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium rather than accepting the advances of the Middle Eastern kingdom.

Romelu Lukaku

Al-Hilal also sought Chelsea forward, Romelu Lukaku, in their pursuit of a top talent to join in the summer. Big Rom reportedly received a staggering £21mil-per-year offer from the Saudis after spending the previous season on loan at Inter Milan.

However, the former Everton and Manchester United attacker has not appeared keen, despite his unwillingness to play at Stamford Bridge over a permanent move to Italy.

Alvaro Morata

The Atletico Madrid forward has had a rather nomadic career. Al-Taawoun is said to have offered the Spaniard a lucrative €50mil per year deal.

However, he decided to stay at Atletico and signed a new deal with the club instead.