Cristiano Ronaldo is gearing up for his first match since moving to Saudi Arabia this week – but he will not be representing new club Al Nassr.
That is because Ronaldo has been included in the Saudi Arabia All-Star XI side that will face Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday.
The All-Star team is made up of Al Hilal and Al Nassr players, and with Ronaldo confirmed as the captain on Monday, it means the 37-year-old Portuguese is set to face rival Lionel Messi once more.
Messi and Ronaldo last met in 2020, with the pair’s otherworldly stats making for a long-standing debate over which player is the greatest of this era – and also of all time.
More on Cristiano Ronaldo
A two-match suspension, issued by the English FA following an incident at Goodison Park last year, meant Ronaldo was unable to make his Al Nassr debut prior to this exhibition.
Ronaldo joined Al Nassr on a £170m-a-year deal until 2025, with his primary aim to help the club win a first league title since 2019.
He is set to make his Saudi Pro League debut on Sunday, with Al Nassr – currently top of the table – hosting 10th-placed Al Ettifa.
PSG vs Saudi All-Star XI
- Date: Thursday 19 January
- Kick-off time: 5pm GMT, 8pm local time
- Venue: King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- TV details: The match will not be available on TV in the UK
- Stream: The match will be available to stream for those in the UK on PSG’s official channels, PSG TV, YouTube, Facebook and Twitch.
Messi and Ronaldo head-to-head record
The pair’s most fabled match-ups came in El Clasico encounters, when Messi played for Barcelona and Ronaldo was at Real Marid.
These meetings spanned nine years, from the moment Ronaldo moved to Real from Manchester United in 2009 and until he left for Juventus in 2018.
Memorable matches include Ronaldo’s extra-time winner in the 2011 Copa del Rey final, a 2-2 draw in La Liga in 2012 where both players scored twice, while a Messi hat-trick decided a thrilling 4-3 encounter in 2014 at the Bernabeu – with Ronaldo also on target.
Ronaldo: "We've not had dinner together yet, but I hope in the future!"
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 29, 2019@Cristiano & Messi at the #UCLdraw
pic.twitter.com/KOFY8680tU
In total, the pair have met 36 times, with Messi winning 16 matches to Ronaldo’s 11, while the Argentine has also outscored his rival in direct meetings with 22 goals to 21.
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Their last meeting came in December 2020, when Barcelona drew Juventus in the Champions League group stages. On that occasion it was Ronaldo’s night, with the forward scoring twice as Juve won 3-0 at the Nou Camp.
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