If you've been keeping up with the news of the region, then you've probably seen the progress of the Saudi city of Riyadh. From entertainment to sports events, the capital's been bringing life back to the country. Bringing life and worldwide celebrities, too.
Argentinian football legend Lionel Messi arrived in Riyadh last week just ahead of a friendly match that was scheduled for Friday between Brazil and Argentina. Messi's team, unsurprisingly, took home the cup after winning the friendly game. This would be the second time Messi visits the kingdom in the past five years, though this time around he had entertainment options to choose from as Riyadh Season is still ongoing.
The sportsman was greeted by the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority Turki Al Al-Sheikh. The latter made sure to give Messi a glimpse into the transformations that happened in Saudi Arabia in the past few years.
"A lot of things have changed in Saudi Arabia in the last five years since your last visit. Prince Mohammed bin Salman changed a lot and the whole world is coming to us. He is building a new Saudi," Al-Sheikh told the footballer while welcoming him.
The Saudi official also hosted Messi and his teammates in his house, and took them on a tour of the boulevard that's part of the Riyadh Season festivities.
Looks like Messi enjoyed his trip to Saudi Arabia and made sure to express just that in an Instagram post that he captioned, writing:
"Happy to be back in Riyadh! The vibe is contagious! Looking forward to coming back again. Thanks @turkialalshik and #RiyadhSeason for the great evening!"
The striker is going to be back in the country on Jan. 8, this time joining his team Barcelona who'll be taking part in the Spanish Super Cup finals in Jeddah.
Seeing the warm welcome he got this time around, he's bound to be excited about his next trip.
Messi got a special tour of Riyadh Season's boulevard
His tour guide was none other than Turki Al Al-Sheikh
Al-Sheikh got one-on-one time with Messi's team
Riyadh Season has been a massive success so far
Messi's visit to Riyadh came at a time when the city is witnessing the largest entertainment event in its history.
The Riyadh Season was able to bring in over 5 million visitors during the first three weeks since its opening. The two-month-long event is set to wrap up on Dec. 15 and covers 12 main zones of the capital and six branches around the city.
Each zone offers a different form of entertainment and hosts a number of the 100 events taking place as part of the festival.
The theme of this season is "Imagine," which is quite fitting as the unimaginable is coming true in the kingdom.