Will it be his last dance?
Cristiano Ronaldo (37) and Lionel Messi (35) will meet on January 19. Then a selection of Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal play Paris Saint-Germain in Riyadh.
It is the first direct duel between the two dominant footballers in the last 15 years since December 2020. And also the last?
Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo – many football fans can argue on this question endlessly. But one thing is clear: when the mega stars play against each other, the two best footballers of the last 15 years face off.
As a result, many football fans are looking forward to the friendly match between Al-Nassr/Al-Hilal and PSG. However, this game was planned long before Ronaldo arrived in Saudi Arabia. The meeting was supposed to take place last year, but was canceled due to Corona.
Ronaldo has a special coach for the match: Marcelo Gallardo (46) will take over from the mixed selection. The coach managed River Plate in Argentina from 2014 to 2022 and was also active as a player at Monaco and PSG, among others.
Gallardo will coach Ronaldo in what could be his last match against Messi. The two world stars last met on December 8, 2020. At that time, the pair called Barça against Juve. CR7 brought the Italians to 3-0 with a brace from a penalty.
One thing’s for sure: the stars from Portugal and Argentina probably won’t play each other too often. Ronaldo has signed with Al-Nassr until 2025, Messi is likely to extend him in Paris until at least 2024. They could probably only face each other again in a competitive match at the Club World Cup if they both win the Champions League with their clubs early.
So on January 19th we could witness the last direct duel between two players who have marked an entire era…
