This may be the last showdown between Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. Photo: Xinhua News Agency
Beijing News (Reporter Xu Bangyin) In the early morning of January 17, the all-star team composed of Riyadh Victory and Riyadh Crescent announced the friendly match roster, and Ronaldo's name was listed and will serve as the captain. According to the schedule, at 1 o'clock Beijing time on January 20 (this Friday), Riyadh United will play Paris Saint-Germain, and Cristiano Ronaldo will make his debut after joining the Saudi league, playing old rival Messi.
Since joining Saudi side Riyadh in early January, the focus of attention has been on when Ronaldo will make his debut, as he has not been able to play in the Saudi league due to the suspension penalty he received while playing for Manchester United. After more than half a month of waiting, he finally had the opportunity to make an appearance in a friendly match.
Riyadh United against Paris Saint-Germain is just a friendly match, the former is an all-star team composed of Riyadh Victory and Riyadh Crescent, and Paris Saint-Germain's trip to the Middle East is also for commercial purposes. Ahead of the friendly match, Messi will also return to Qatar, which lifted the Hercules Cup, to participate in a series of sponsorship activities.
On January 4, Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Victory Club held a welcome event for Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo: Xinhua News Agency
Even so, this friendly match is still in the spotlight, not only Cristiano Ronaldo's debut since joining the Saudi team, but also the 37th career matchup between Ronaldo and Messi.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi first met in the 2007-2008 Champions League season, when they played for Manchester United and Barca respectively, and the two teams drew at Camp Nou. The most recent meeting was also at Camp Nou, where Cristiano Ronaldo led Juve to defeat Barca in the group stage of the 2020-2021 Champions League.
In the past ten years, Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi have played a total of 36 times, including 6 Champions League games, 18 La Liga games, 5 Spanish Super Cups, 5 Copa del Rey and 2 national team matches. With 16 wins, 9 draws and 11 defeats, Messi has a head-to-head record better than Ronaldo, while leading Ronaldo's 21 goals and 1 assist with 22 goals and 12 assists in statistics.
Coming to the 37th meeting, the teams belonging to Ronaldo and Messi have changed, Ronaldo will play for Riyadh United, and Messi will wear the Paris Saint-Germain shirt. Considering that Cristiano Ronaldo has moved to Saudi Arabia and Messi continues to play in Ligue 1 and the Champions League, this match is likely to be the last clash between the two men's careers.
Edited by Wang Chunqiu
Proofreading by Wang Xin