Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are set to meet on the pitch for the first time in more than a year in a friendly billed as “the last dance of football greatness” by organisers in Saudi Arabia…or are they?
The head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority Turki Alalshikh announced on Tuesday that the Ballon d’Or holder’s side, Inter Miami, would meet Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in the Riyadh Season Cup in February 2024.
Al Hilal, who currently lead the Saudi Pro League from Al Nassr and count Neymar, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly among their star players, were also slated to be involved in the three-team round-robin showpiece, with the club’s 26,000 capacity Kingdom Arena serving as the host venue.
However, Inter Miami then released a statement branding the announcement as “inaccurate”. It added that franchise owner Jorge Mas “has made no comments, publicly or privately, in relation to the preseason tour.”
Here’s what we know so far about the proposed latest and possibly last meeting between the two most successful footballers of modern times.
