Saudi Football Chief Dreams Big, Wants Ronaldo, Messi Rivalry Reignited in Middle East

• The long-standing rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi could be rekindled in Saudi Arabia
• Recently the pair rolled back the years when they traded goals in an exhibition match staged in the Saudi capital
• Meanwhile, Messi is currently in the final months of his contract at PSG and is yet to sign an extension

Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) General Secretary Ibrahim Alkassim has shared his thoughts on the prospects of reuniting Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the same league.

Ronaldo and Messi played in La Liga during the height of their powers, facing off regularly while playing for rival clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.

The pair, unquestionably the greatest footballers of their generation by a wide margin, have since moved on to other adventures.

Messi is currently in the final months of his contract at PSG and is yet to sign an extension while Ronaldo made the sensational switch to Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr.

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Despite PSG's intention to extend Messi's deal, there have been keen interests from Barcelona, Inter Miami and recently Al-Hilal, per Sportsmole.

Sharing his thoughts on the possibility of Messi reuniting with his great rival in the Middle East, Alkassim said:

"At the moment we do not know anything about a possible Lionel Messi arrival," he told MARCA via Sportskeeda.

"Although I will not hide that, as the Saudi Federation, we would like to have him one day in the domestic league.

"The idea of the Federation is always to improve our football, and of course, we would like to see Cristiano and Messi in the same league again, but the truth is that we don’t know anything now."

Messi, Ronaldo meet in Saudi

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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 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.

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Sports Brief earlier reported that legendary Barcelona midfielder, Anderson Luís de Souza - commonly known as Deco - has rated Ronaldinho as more talented than Al-Nassr star, Cristiano Ronaldo and PSG icon, Lionel Messi.

Deco signed a four-year deal with Barcelona in 2004 for a fee around the region of €15 million.

He played together with Ronaldinho and Messi at Camp Nou, while conducting his international duty alongside Ronaldo with the Portugal national team.