After Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United mutually parted ways in November 2022, he was able to sign with any team in the league as a free agent. The soon-to-be 38-year-old opened thenewest and maybe last chapter of his career when became a member of Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia just before the end of the year.
In hisunofficial debut game in Saudi Arabia, the Portuguese will now face his long-time adversary Lionel Messi ofParis Saint-Germain. The French sideannounced this weekthat they would play a friendly match against a combined squad consisting of players from Ronaldo’s new club, and Al Hilal, the current Asian Champions League champions, on January 19 in Riyadh.
For the last 15 years, the two superstars have dominated the sport, earning a combined 12 Ballon d’Or awards. It was during their nine years of playing against one another in the Spanish La Liga that they became bitter rivals.
Report: Lionel Messiand Cristiano Ronaldo mightrenew their rivalry
It was widely believed that the long-running rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had ended with the former’s departure to the Middle East. However, it seems that their competition may once again heat up.
Al Nassr’s biggest adversary,Al-Hilal apparently wantto recruit Lionel Messi and arewilling to pay him much more than what Cristiano Ronaldo earns in the Saudi league.Catalan weekly Muno Deportivo claims that the Blue Waves haveoffered the 35-year-olda blockbuster €276 millionper season contract in order to finalize the transfer before the conclusion of the current campaign.
Also, the Daily Mailreported that the ace’s father Jorge Messi,was in Riyadh to meet with Al-Hilal.The potential transfer would enable Saudi Arabia, who just welcomed the former Manchester United attacker, to continue the rivalry between them. It’s worth noting that the PSG forward also serves as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia in the tourist industry.
While the Saudi side can’t legally sign any new players until the summer transfer market opens, the reports suggest that they would want to get a jump on the competition by agreeing a deal as early as now.Although recent rumors have indicated that the 2022 World Cup champion with Argentina is moving closer to extending his stay in Ligue 1until 2024, it is widely thought that he would be open to the transfer.
