To the protectors of the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo legacy, accepting lucrative contracts in Saudi Arabia is nothing new – or controversial. Their fans would claim the players are merely looking to secure a payday in their final playing years.

And who are we to deny them more money after they have given the game so much during their peaks?

Messi and Ronaldo have become very wealthy from football and lending their faces to products. Why should advertising holidays or even a World Cup bid in Saudi Arabia differ? Pep Guardiola and Xavi were ambassadors for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid and they remain highly regarded. At a time when football asks for gentle moral consistency rather than outright moral guidance from its most prominent figures, what difference does it make to these superstars?

The question of how much their association with Saudi affects their legacy largely depends on how much you expect players to be the moral arbiters of what is good for the game. Should two of the best players of all time better use their voices to speak about what they believe should be the sport’s future?

While it would be preferable for some that Messi and Ronaldo do not involve themselves in the workings of monied groups, both have a history of being open to the right offer. In 2023, that bidder appears to be Saudi Arabia rather than clubs such as Real Madrid or Barcelona.

Critics can (and should) rightly point to Saudi’s controversial human rights record and how the country has used sport to reinvent its public perception. The Messi and Ronaldo detractors have good reason to want better from the pair, who have also already tarnished their legacies in the eyes of some after both were found guilty of tax fraud during their time in Spain.

While their actions in chasing top-level salaries are not entirely surprising, they are unfortunate if not disappointing. In December, when asked by The Athletic, Messi’s representatives were not prepared to comment on his willingness to take a vast cheque from a state which has been linked to human rights abuses.

At his unveiling in Saudi in January, Ronaldo said, “For me, this is a great opportunity not only in football but also to change the mentality of the new generation.

“I know what I want, this is a good chance to help to grow many important points. I really don’t worry about what people say. I am really, really happy to be here. I’m a unique player, it’s good to come here. I beat all the records there, I want to beat a few records here. This contract is unique but I’m a unique player, so for me it’s normal.”

Football is not the only form of entertainment to take investment from Saudi Arabia as part of Vision 2030.

The sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia finances the controversial LIV Golf tour. WWE will host its Night of Champions pay-per-view event this month at the Super Dome Stadium in Jeddah. That venue also hosted a rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua for the boxing WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles.

When Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn was asked about his decision to take fights to the region, he suggested such criticism was unfair given the number of Western brands and sports competitions there.

“I was driving up and down the road last night thinking of all the criticism I’ve been getting and I passed Gucci, Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, Versace and Ralph Lauren,” Hearn said.

Messi and Ronaldo’s affiliation with Saudi Arabia is simply two more modern brands that appear unconcerned about slower profitability through mass appeal – and instead seek larger payouts from wealthy individuals looking to either entertain themselves or use entertainment as a means of burnishing their image. And football brands now require state-backed wealth to provide the salaries for two of the greatest ever.

Have Messi and Ronaldo tarnished their legacy by accepting money from Saudi Arabia? It is unlikely those who consider either to be the greatest footballer of all time will be disappointed by their recent choices.

Both men have become footballing greats by doing things bigger and in greater volume than those that came before them and it can be argued that these financial decisions are little different. Messi and Ronaldo’s rivalry at Barcelona and Real Madrid – two clubs that will now play in Saudi Arabia on a yearly basis due to the reworked Spanish Super Cup – will form the backbone of any legacy talk about who is more significant.

It is just a pity that two of the greatest players football has ever seen exist at a time when the sport is being used more and more as a trinket for powerful individuals instead of being used to empower the masses.

• The Athletic report