FOR the first time since 2020, football fans will be thrilled with a match that will see multiple Ballon d'Or winners, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi go head-to-head in a friendly fixture on January 19, 2023.
The match, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will see Saudi All-star XI take on the Paris Saint-German team, as Ronaldo has been confirmed to lead the All-star team that will consist of a mixture of players from Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal.
Ronaldo, who signed a deal with Al-Nassr, was seen in a video posted from the account of Turki Al-Sheikh, Saudi Arabia's current Chairman of General Authority for Entertainment receiving the armband and his shirt for Thursday's friendly, confirming that the 5-time Ballon d'Or winner will lead the All-star side out of the tunnel.
The last time the two highly-rated players met was as far back as December 2020, when Ronaldo was on the winning side, as Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League.