Cristiano Ronaldo was able to get over this defeat in what was possibly the last giant duel. “So happy to be back on the pitch,” wrote the 37-year-old Portuguese soccer superstar after an all-star selection for his new Saudi club Al-Nassr and its rivals Al-Hilal went 4-5 against French champions Paris St. Germain with world champion Lionel Messi. Ronaldo was also pleased that he had scored two goals himself.
And it was nice to meet old friends, he wrote late Thursday evening with pictures, one of which shows Ronaldo standing arm in arm with Messi before kick-off. The Argentine, in turn, posted a minisequence in a Story on Instagram, where he can be seen hugging Ronaldo warmly.
According to Argentinian and Portuguese media, it was the 37th duel for the two superstars. In terms of sport, it was not particularly important this time, but with a very high entertainment value in the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh. “Spectacle guaranteed for a gala,” headlined PSG itself late in the evening on its website. “The spectators got their money’s worth,” said the French sports newspaper “L’Équipe”. “Ronaldo, Messi turn back the years in nine-goal thriller,” wrote Al Jazeera.
It started with a goal from Messi, followed by two goals from Ronaldo, a missed penalty from Neymar, a converted penalty from Kylian Mbappé and much more, including a red card (PSG pro Juan Bernat). Not to forget an unintentional elbow check by PSG keeper Keylor Navas against Ronaldo, but the scratch on his face couldn’t stop him from celebrating a goal.
After an hour, Ronaldo was replaced, as was Messi and his strike partner Neymar and Mbappé. After a short breather, the almost 70,000 spectators were offered a few more highlights with two more goals.
