The two greatest players in football history, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, may not play in the same league, but the biggest players in the football spectrum have worked tirelessly to persuade them to face off, possibly for the last time.
The All-Star XI will apparently be led by Ronaldo, who just moved to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, against Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain in a friendly match on Thursday.
The information was released in a tweet from Turki Al-Sheikh, the current chairman of Saudi Arabia’s general entertainment administration. Additionally, a video of Ronaldo donning the captain’s armband was included in the tweet.
الوعد ان شاءالله يوم ١٩ يناير … لقاء فوق الخيال … ومدير الفريق الكابتن خالد الشنيف ان شاءالله والتشكيلة غداً بيعلنها المدرب وخالد … اتمنى يومها ننسى الهلال والنصر ساعتين ونصير كلنا موسم الرياض… وبعد الساعتين نوقف الهدنة 😂🇸🇦❤️ pic.twitter.com/nttB07IgBb
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) January 15, 2023
Messi and Ronaldo, arguably two of the greatest rivals in the sport, haven’t faced each other since December 2020 when Juventus had beaten Barcelona 3-0 in a UEFA Champions League clash.
With the conclusion of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo and Messi went their separate ways.
Ronaldo was playing for Manchester United until the start of the World Cup in Qatar but decided to ‘mutually terminate’ his contract with the club.
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Though the Portuguese forward had said in an interview that he wanted to continue playing football in Europe, eventually he decided to move to Saudi Arabia in a potential USD 200m deal.
Messi, on the other hand, won his maiden FIFA World Cup title with Argentina before returning to PSG in France.
The 7-time Ballon d’Or-winner is still touted as one of the finest players in the world. The Ligue 1 side is also among the favourites to go all the way in the Champions League this season.
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