Watch: World Champion Leo Messi Spotted 'Admiring' Ronaldo in GOAT Reunion

Watch: World Champion Leo Messi Spotted 'Admiring' Ronaldo in GOAT Reunion

Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:23 PM
In this article:
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C. Ronaldo
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L.Messi
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  • Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo put on a splendid performance as they came face to face in Paris Saint-Germain's 5-4 win over a Riyadh All-Star XI
  • The exhibition match in Riyadh saw two of the greatest players of all time sharing a pitch together for possibly the final time
  • Their rivalry grew during the nine years in which they faced off against each other in Spain

Sharing a staggering 12 Ballon d'Or awards between them, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi faced off perhaps for the last time in their illustrious careers.

Ronaldo led a select side from Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal against a star-studded PSG team featuring his great rival Leo Messi.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, idolize, admire, Riyadh XI, PSG
Ronaldo and Messi rolled back the years in a nine-goal thriller when Riyadh XI faced PSG at the King Fahd Stadium. Photo credit: @goal @TeamCRonaldo
Source: Twitter

The fixture produced an action-packed encounter which yielded nine goals as the Portuguese maestro and Argentine genius traded goals, CNN reports

Aside from the thrilling nature of the exhibition match, the pair produced several heartwarming moments which melted the hearts of many.

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One of the touching highlight reels of the game was when Lionel Messi was filmed literally 'admiring' his rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

The PSG star, who helped Argentina win the World Cup last month, stared at Ronaldo for several seconds before the ex-Real Madrid forward turned towards his direction and later shared a wholesome conversation before kickoff.

Below is the video:

What's next for Ronaldo and Messi?

Ronaldo will begin his Saudi sojourn on Sunday against Al-Etiffaq

Meanwhile, Messi and his PSG teammates will face lower-tier side Pays de Cassel in the Coupe de France on Monday, per L'Equipe.

Football greats hold delightful conversation

The much-vaunted exhibition game between Paris Saint-Germain and a select side from Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr has dominated the headlines throughout the course of the week.

The discussion has centred on perhaps the last match-up between Cristiano Ronaldo and his eternal nemesis Lionel Messi.

Despite the pair's rivalry, Messi and Ronaldo have nothing but respect for each other, which manifested just before the kick-off.

Messi, Ronaldo trade goals

Sports Brief earlier reported that Cristiano Ronaldo responded to Lionel Messi's opening goal with a quickfire brace in an enthralling exhibition game staged at the King Fahd Stadium.

In what was Ronaldo's first game on Saudi soil since joining Al-Nassr the Portuguese superstar stole the headlines with a first-half brace.

But it was his long-time rival Lionel Messi who drew first blood when he tucked the ball home after he was put through on goal by a delicious Neymar pass.

Authors
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe photo
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe is a Ligue 1, Bundesliga, and La Liga editor with five-year experience. He previously worked with Sports Corna and 360SportsGH.
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