When Messi Met Ronaldo in the Riyadh Season Cup: Will They Face Off in Saudi Arabia Again?

• News of Ronaldo's Al-Nassr facing Messi's Inter Miami in a friendly match next year went viral
• Inter Miami said the announcement that they will play in the Riyadh Season Cup was inaccurate
• Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi did face each other in the Riyadh Season Cup early this year

Fans went wild this week when news broke that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo would lock horns in a friendly match in Saudi Arabia.

That report proved inaccurate, with Inter Miami denying the news that they will face Al-Nassr in the next edition of the Riyadh Season Cup.

Sports Brief looks back at the last time these two sports icons faced each other in a football match as anticipation grows that Messi vs. Ronaldo will be a reality once more.

Messi vs. Ronaldo in Saudi

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What made the news so believable in the first place was that Messi had already played in the Riyadh Season Cup before.

The Argentine star saw action in this tournament last January as part of Paris Saint-Germain. The Messi-led French club faced a Riyadh All-Stars side composed of players from Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal.

Ronaldo was selected as captain of the home team one month after sealing a blockbuster move to Al-Nassr.

It was their first meeting since the Portuguese star left Manchester United and resumed his professional career in the Middle East.

The match against PSG was Ronaldo’s first game since moving to Saudi Arabia.

Ronaldo and Messi both score in friendly

The showdown between the eternal rivals lived up to the hype, with PSG and Riyadh All-Stars serving up a nine-goal thriller.

Messi opened the scoring for PSG in the third minute, finding the back of the net after being presented a one-on-one opportunity against the Riyadh goalkeeper.

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Riyadh equalised in the 34th minute through a penalty by Ronaldo after he was fouled inside the box by PSG goalkeeper, Keylor Navas.

PSG were reduced to 10 men in the 39th minute after Juan Bernat was given his marching orders for a professional foul on Salem Al Dawsari.

The Parisians regained the lead in the 43rd minute after Marquinhos diverted Kylian Mbappe’s cross from the left flank into the back of the net.

Their lead didn’t last long, though, as the Riyadh All-Stars tied the match at 2-2 just before the half-time break.

Ronaldo doubled his goal tally, netting a close-range strike after his header had rebounded off the post, per ESPN.

Messi and Ronaldo continued entertaining the crowd in the second half, with both stars playing until the 60th minute before being substituted.

Three goals were scored during that stretch. Sergio Ramos gave PSG a 3-2 lead in the 53rd minute following a terrific solo run by Mbappe.

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Football

Riyadh equalised again in the 56th minute, with Saudi select defender, Jang Hyun-Soo making it 3-3.

Mbappe restored PSG’s advantage in the 60th minute, scoring a penalty after a Riyadh handball to give the French giants a 4-3 lead.

The goals continued to come after Ronaldo and Messi left the pitch. Hugo Ekitike made it 5-3 for PSG with a 78th-minute goal off the counter-attack.

Anderson Talisca delighted the home crowd before the match ended, firing a long-distance screamer in the 94th minute to make it 5-4.

PSG won the contest, but Ronaldo took home the Man of the Match honours after his two-goal night.

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Messi's hectic 2024 schedule

Sports Brief recently reported on Messi's schedule for Argentina and Inter Miami for 2024.

He will feature in several competitions, such as the CONCACAF Champions Cup and Copa America.

The Herons are also planning an international tour for their campaign in the preseason.