Ronaldo vs Messi: Mega Match Between the Two Football Superstars With Handpicked Teammates Almost Happened

• An All-Star match pitting Team Cristiano Ronaldo and Team Lionel Messi was close to happening
• A London-based wheeler-dealer proposed the 90 million super match where the two stars would pick their own starting XIs
• The project did not take off due to a huge number of invested parties and politics in world football

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will go down as two of the best footballers in the history of the sport.

The two superstars dominated European football for nearly 20 years and were close to playing a super match at Wembley, where each player chose their teammates.

Ronaldo and Messi broke numerous records and won every individual award in the last decade. The two have played against each other plenty of times in the El Clasico, arguably the biggest football rivalry.

The two are probably past their peak and are nearing the end of their glittering careers, and the 2022 World Cup, a few weeks from now, will probably be their last.

Famous football brothers: Ranking the 20 best soccer siblings in the world right now

Football

According to an exclusive by the Sun, the two stars were very close to playing against each other in a £90 million All-Star match at Wembley, with both Messi and Ronaldo hand-picking their starting XI.

A book titled Ronaldo vs Messi made stunning revelations about an American-style All-Star game, with Messi and Ronaldo captains of their respective teams.

Team Messi vs Team Ronaldo proposal

According to the book, London-based strategist Robert Bonnier, a former multimillionaire, approached the camps of both players about his radical project in 2014.

Although Ronaldo and Messi regularly played against each other in the El Clasico, Bonnier wanted a biennial match between them and their hand-picked teams.

The first match was planned for 2017. However, the organizers planned to make the event a festival, including live bands and even a boxing match. Support from bodies such as UEFA and FIFA wouldn't come cheap.

Lionel Messi: Argentinian superstar signed 1st professional contract with Barcelona on a napkin

Football

Moreover, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez wanted £21 million for any of his real Madrid stars to be involved.

However, the dream was never realised due to the numerous invested parties and backroom politics. Since Ronaldo and Lionel Messi left Barcelona, the status of El Clasico has drastically deteriorated, according to Sports Illustrated.

Ronaldo almost joined Messi at Barcelona

Sports Brief earlier reported on Manchester United's intentions to sell Ronaldo to Barcelona in 2009 before they sold him to Real Madrid.

Sir Alex Ferguson had disdain for Real Madrid and contacted Barcelona, but Ronaldo was keen on a move to Madrid, according to reports.

Ronaldo eventually signed for Madrid for a world record fee at that time, ushering in a dominance never witnessed before.