Comparing Messi and Ronaldo’s Starts to Their MLS and Saudi Pro League Careers

The battle for football supremacy rages on for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

They have taken their talents to other parts of the globe, with Messi now playing for Inter Miami in the United States and Ronaldo now plying his trade for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

Sports Brief looks at how the two superstars fared in their first three games in those two countries.

Messi's first 3 games

Cruz Azul (Leagues Cup)

All eyes were on Messi as he made his debut for Inter Miami on July 21 in the Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul. He entered the contest as a substitute, replacing Benjamin Cremaschi in the 54th minute.

Cruz Azul weren’t fazed by Messi’s entry, equalizing in the 65th minute via a Uriel Antuna goal.

Just when it seemed the game was headed for a penalty shootout, Messi delivered and sent the home fans into a frenzy. He curled in a free kick deep into second-half injury time to give Inter Miami a dramatic 2-1 victory.

Atlanta United (Leagues Cup)

The 36-year-old picked up right where he left off when he made his first start for Inter Miami in their Leagues Cup match against Atlanta United on July 25.

He played a part in three of the Herons’ goals as they cruised to an easy 4-0 victory.

He opened the scoring in the eighth minute, converting an easy tap-in after his initial shot attempt hit the post. Messi had Sergio Busquets to thank for that goal, as it was his through pass that started the attacking sequence.

The Argentine doubled his tally 14 minutes later, finishing a move that was started by Busquets again.

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Messi went on a long run after receiving a pass from the Barcelona veteran in the middle of the pitch. He then laid off a pass to Robert Taylor once an Atlanta United defender went near him.

Taylor delivered a perfect cross to Messi, who scored with his right foot to make it 2-0 for Inter Miami. He returned the favor in the 53rd minute, teeing up Taylor, who made it 4-0 for the Herons.

Orlando City (Leagues Cup)

He continued his hot start for Inter Miami, scoring twice in their 3-1 win over Orlando City on Wednesday.

Messi opened the scoring with a close-range strike in the seventh minute, per Sports Brief. Taylor found Messi with a fantastic chip pass after the latter made a great run inside the box.

The 2022 World Cup hero controlled the pass with his chest before firing the volley past Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese to give Inter Miami a 1-0 lead.

Messi doubled his tally in the 72nd minute, volleying home another goal to seal the win for Inter Miami.

Josef Martinez, who scored a penalty in the 51s minute, provided the assist to Messi with a delicate chip across the six-yard box, per ESPN.

Ronaldo’s first 3 games

Al-Ettifaq (Saudi Pro League)

The Portuguese star made his long-awaited debut for Al Nassr on January 23 in a league game against Al Ettifaq.

He made a winning start to life in Saudi Arabia, helping his new club record a 1-0 victory. Talisca scored the lone goal of the contest, heading in Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem’s cross in the 31st minute.

Ronaldo dazzled the crowd with his tricks and step-overs, but he failed to find the back of the net in his first match for Al-Nassr.

Al-Ittihad (Saudi Super Cup)

Ronaldo’s second match for Al-Nassr ended in disappointment as they suffered a 3-1 loss to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Super Cup on January 26.

Romarinho gave Al-Ittihad the perfect start after scoring in the 15th minute. Ronaldo nearly equalized for Al-Nassr in the 43rd minute, but the oppositon goalkeeper spectacularly saved his header.

That miss proved to be costly as Abderrazak Hamdallah doubled Al Ittihad’s advantage just seconds later with a perfectly-placed header.

Talisca pulled one goal back for Al Nassr with a left-footed strike midway through the second half.

Ronaldo and his teammates searched for the equalizer but were unable to break down the opposing defense. Al-Ittihad secured the win in added time, with Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti scoring a goal on the counter-attack.

Al Fateh (Saudi Pro League)

Ronaldo entered the game against Al Fateh on February 3, 2023, with hopes of scoring his first goal in Saudi Arabia.

He thought he had scored for Al Nassr in the 24th minute, but his goal was ruled out for offside, per Sports Illustrated.

Ronaldo’s shot attempt also went high and wide from ten yards out in the 35th minute after Talisca’s effort hit the post.

He came close to ending his goal drought in first-half stoppage time, but his strike, unfortunately, rattled the crossbar.

The former Manchester United star finally had something to celebrate late in the second half, scoring a last-gasp penalty to earn Al Nassr a 2-2 draw.

Why Alba joined Inter Miami

The Spanish left-back revealed in a press conference that he chose to play for them to reunite with Messi and Busquets.