After all, there will be one last dance between Cristiano and Lionel Messi. The revelation was made this Tuesday by the Saudi Arabian authorities, with the announcement of a private match between Al Nassr and Inter Miami, scheduled for February 2024, in principle in the first week, in a challenge included in the Riyadh Season Cup tournament, where Al Hilal by Jorge Jesus will also be present.
The last time the two players who dominated world football for about two decades faced each other was on January 19 this year, when Messi was still playing for Paris Saint-Germain and Cristiano Ronaldo was already playing in Saudi football (the was in fact his departure premiere in that Middle Eastern country). The match, also of a private nature, ended with a 5-4 victory for the French, with Ronaldo scoring twice.
Ronaldo and Messi are old acquaintances as opponents – they have faced each other in 37 official matches (including this year’s private ones), the vast majority of times when they have matched up in the Spanish league (the Portuguese at Real Madrid; the Argentinian at Barcelona ). Messi has the advantage in direct confrontations (17 wins, nine draws and 11 defeats).
The first clash between the two players took place about 15 years ago and the stage was the semi-final of the Champions League. At Camp Nou, Barcelona, coached at the time by Frank Rijkaard, and Manchester United, coached by Alex Ferguson, played out a goalless draw, in a match that also featured two former Portuguese internationals: Deco for the Blaugrana and Nani for the Red Devils.
Source: DN
