World’s star football players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will clash in February next year as Inter Miami Tuesday confirmed they would participate in the blockbuster Riyadh Season Cup.
Miami will play two top Saudi sides, Al-Hilal on January 29 and Al-Nassr on February 2. This means Messi will be playing against Karim Benzema and Ronaldo within three days.
“These matches will offer important tests for our team, which will benefit us as we approach the new season,” Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson said. “We’re excited for our group to get the chance to go up against teams with as much quality as Al-Hilal and Al Nassr.”
The two have faced one another a whopping 36 times with the Argentine’s team emerging victorious in 16 of them while El Bicho’s side won 11 times, the remaining games ended in draws.
Messi scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists during those encounters while Ronaldo bagged 21 and managed to get one assist.
Messi, aged 36, made his mark primarily at Barce-lona, while Ronaldo, aged 38, reached great heights at fierce rivals Real Madrid after transferring from Manchester United in 2009.
Their most recent encounter was in January when Paris Saint-Germain, Messi’s former team, tri-umphed 5-4 against a Riyadh All-Stars XI squad in Saudi Arabia.
Many believed that would mark the final time Messi and Ronaldo shared a pitch as they near the end of their careers on different continents.
Ideally, their farewell match would have been in the World Cup or Champions League, fitting stages for their stature in the sport. However, the Riyadh Season Cup offers potentially a definitive conclusion to their long-standing rivalry on the field.
For over a decade, Messi and Ronaldo have domi-nated world football. Ronaldo clinched his first of five Ballon d’Or awards in 2008, with both players winning 12 of the next 14 years. Ronaldo’s move to Real Madrid in 2009 put them on opposing sides for one of Europe’s major derbies for nine seasons.
Fans endlessly debated who was superior, but Messi’s record eight Ballon d’Ors and Argentina’s 2022 World Cup have leaned towards the Argen-tine, but the arguments from the fans are likely to continue for as long as both players are active.—Agencies
