KEY POINTS
- The friendly game will take place Thursday
- Messi is currently contracted with PSG
- Ronaldo recently parted ways with Man Utd
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are set to take on a Saudi All-Star XI in a friendly fixture, which would bring Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi face to face once again.
The Saudi All-Star XI side will include players from Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr clubs. Ronaldo, who recently parted ways with Manchester United on mutual consent, later joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr as a free agent on a two-year contract.
The 37-year-old forward’s debut for Al-Nassr has been postponed because he is currently serving a two-match suspension for smashing an Everton fan’s mobile phone last April. While Ronaldo is expected to play his maiden game for Al-Nassr on Jan. 22, his fans in Saudi Arabia could see him play in an exhibition match against Messi’s PSG on Thursday.
Ronaldo will captain the Saudi All-Star XI against PSG, according to a tweet from Turki Al-Sheikh, Saudi Arabia’s chairman of general authority for entertainment. Al-Sheikh shared a video that showed the five-time Ballon d’Or winner receiving the armband and his shirt for Thursday’s friendly.
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
The upcoming friendly game will be Ronaldo’s first club fixture since leaving Manchester United in the middle of the 2022-23 season. It will also be the first time Messi and Ronaldo will face off since December 2020, when Ronaldo was on the winning side as Juventus defeated Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League.
PSG vs. Saudi All-Star XI: What time will it begin?
The friendly match between PSG and Saudi All-Star XI will begin at 12.00 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Where will the friendly match be played?
The friendly match between Ronaldo’s Saudi All-Star XI and Messi’s PSG will be played at the King Fahd International Stadium, the same venue that recently hosted the Spanish Super Cup.
Live Streaming
The match can be followed on BeIN Sports’ streaming service and also through PSG’s official television channel.
Ronaldo and Messi established an iconic rivalry in Spain during their respective stints with Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. The rivalry ended when Ronaldo left Los Blancos in 2018 to join Juventus. Messi eventually moved from Barcelona to PSG on a free transfer in the summer of 2021.
