SAUDI ARABIA: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - Argentina, including talisman Lionel Messi, arrive in Ryiadh, Saudi Arabia ahead of their international friendly match on Wednesday

Record ID: 189055

  • Title: SAUDI ARABIA: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - Argentina, including talisman Lionel Messi, arrive in Ryiadh, Saudi Arabia ahead of their international friendly match on Wednesday
  • Date: 12th November 2012
  • Summary: RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (NOVEMBER 12, 2012) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF ARRIVALS HALL AT THE KING KHALID INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN RIYADH SIGN READING IN ENGLISH AND ARABIC - 'DOMESTIC FLIGHTS, DEPARTURE, INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS' VARIOUS OF FANS TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OF EACH OTHER (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SOCCER FAN, ABDULRAHMAN BASALOM, SAYING: "Messi is coming today to Riyadh, it is one of the most important moments of my life to see the best player in the world, will try to meet him and have a picture with him, God willing."
  • Embargoed: 27th November 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Saudi Arabia
  • Country: Saudi Arabia
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAD2WZ4P6V62YR0513F5IBFVEWD
  • Story Text: Argentina arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday (November 12) ahead of their friendly match on Wednesday (November 14).
    Lionel Messi was among the 22-man squad and the Barcelona forward had to have a security escort to make his way through the crowd of journalists, cameramen, photographers and fans.
    One fan, Abdulrahman Basalom, said: "Messi is coming today to Riyadh, it is one of the most important moments of my life to see the best player in the world, will try to meet him and have a picture with him, God willing."
    Fares Al Delbehi also wanted his photo taken with and to get the Argentine's autograph. "I came today to fulfil my dream with Messi to take a photo with him and ask him to sign my shirt," he said.
    For Bander Al Delbehi he wanted a photo with Messi so he could post it on every social media format he could think of.
    "I hope that I have a picture with Messi to put it on Facebook and BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) and on Twitter and print it and put in my car and everywhere."
    Messi, 25, surpassed Pele's career-best tally of goals scored in a season on Sunday (November 11) by notching his 75th and 76th goals of the season in Barcelona's 4-2 victory against Mallorca.
    Sixty-four of those were for Barca and 12 for Argentina and he is closing in on the record for a calendar year of 85 set by German Gerd Mueller in 1972.
    He bagged 50 goals in La Liga last season, smashing Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 40 from the previous campaign, and was top scorer in the Champions League for an unprecedented fourth straight edition.
    Messi is the favourite to claim a fourth consecutive World Player award when the winner is announced in January.
    The Argentine has a chance to add to his tally when Argentina play Saudi Arabia and his next match for Barca is at home to Real Zaragoza in La Liga on Saturday (November 17).
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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