When Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr was confirmed, many football fans thought they had seen him mixing it against the elite for the final time.
The 2022 World Cup was his final opportunity to impress in front of the world’s cameras — but Portugal crashed out in the quarter-finals and Ronaldo was benched.
He has subsequently moved to Saudi Arabia but he has had to wait for his debut.
Ronaldo’s first league appearance for Al Nassr is set for Sunday against Ettifaq, but in a twist of fate, his Saudi Arabia bow looks set to come against PSG — the side spearheaded by long-term rival, Lionel Messi.
Here are all the details you need ahead of the Riyadh Season Cup.
When is the match between PSG and the Saudi All-Star XI?
The match will be played on Thursday, January 19 at 8pm local time. Due to the time difference, that means kick-off will be at 5pm GMT, 12pm EST and 9am PT.
The game marks the culmination of PSG’s annual trip to the Middle East.
The club’s Qatari ownership and their substantial sponsorship deals from that part of the world explain why they continue to travel across the world during the French domestic season.
Making the trip this week has less of an impact on their pursuit of another Ligue 1 title, though, because they are in French Cup action this weekend. The draw has been kind to Christophe Galtier’s side as they meet sixth-tier Pays de Cassel in the last 16.
Where is the match between PSG and the Saudi All-Star XI?
Despite PSG’s ties largely being based in Qatar, Thursday’s game will be played in Riyadh.
King Fahd Stadium in the Saudi capital is the venue that has been selected for the showpiece fixture. The official capacity of the stadium is 68, 752 and you can expect it to be packed out for the exhibition match.
News agency Reuters reported on Wednesday that one Saudi Arabian businessman had shelled out 10 million riyals ($2.66 million) in an auction to watch the showpiece game and meet Ronaldo and Messi afterwards.
Any Qatari PSG supporters will be able to watch the French champions at the Khalifa Stadium in Doha in Wednesday. Galtier’s players will be involved in a public training session at the stadium that hosted the 2022 World Cup final.
Will the match be available to stream?
PSG will be live streaming the match on their YouTube channel and across the social media channels. Keep an eye out on their Twitter and Facebook accounts in the build up to the match for details of when the stream will begin.
Will Ronaldo and Messi play in the match?
Presuming there are no setbacks, Ronaldo will be involved for the Saudi All-Star XI. His new Al Nassr team-mates, as well as a selection of players from Riyadh-based rivals Al Hilal, will make up a team led by legendary former River Plate manager, Marcelo Gallardo.
Turki Alalshikh, Saudi Arabia’s chairman of the General Sports Authority, posted a video to Twitter of Ronaldo receiving his shirt and the captain’s armband for the game.
It is unclear whether Messi will play, but given the importance of the fixture to the PSG hierarchy, president Nasser Al-Khelaifi will be keen to see the stars rolled out in Saudi Arabia.
Galtier will feel his squad is more than strong enough for the French Cup clash a few days later so the likes of Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar could get a run-out in Riyadh.
Who else will be involved for the Saudi All-Star XI?
Ronaldo is likely to lead the line for the hosts, but he will be joined by a few other big names of Saudi Arabian football.
The top scorer in the country’s Pro League, Anderson Talisca, is one of those included in the squad list from Al Nassr, as is his compatriot, and 41-time Brazil international, Luiz Gustavo.
From Al Hilal, ex-West Brom midfielder Matheus Pereira will be familiar to viewers accustomed to watching the Premier League, while Salem Al-Dawsari — who scored the winner against Messi’s Argentina at the World Cup — is also involved.
Al Nassr players available to Saudi All-Star XI: Amin Bukhari, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Ali Lajami, Abdullah Madu, Sultan Al-Ghannam, Luiz Gustavo, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Sami Al-Naji, Talisca, Pity Martínez and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Al Hilal players available to Saudi All-Star XI: Mohammed Al-Owais, Saud Abdulhamid, Ali Al-Bulayhi, Jang Hyun-soo, Khalifah Al-Dawsari, Abdullah Otayf, Mohammed Kanno, André Carrillo, Matheus Pereira, Salem Al-Dawsari and Moussa Marega.
What have the managers said about the fixture?
Al Nassr and Al Hilal — whose players will make up the Saudi All-Star XI — are battling it out at the top of the table. The manager of the current league leaders, Rudi Garcia, is not a big fan of the timing of the game.
“As the coach of Al Nassr, I cannot be happy with this match,” he told L’Equipe. “For development, to see PSG, to see the great Parisian players, indeed it is a good thing. But we have a championship game three days later.
“In terms of scheduling, it could have been better thought out. But it’s not a big deal… We are in the lead, we are happy. It is a difficult championship to win, but we intend to do it.”
Given PSG’s recent poor form, Galtier could do without the distraction, although he has steered clear of criticising the decision to travel to the Middle East.
“The commitment was made last season, the club must respect it,” he said. “Is it well placed? We had to respect the commitment that was made. I comply with the commitments that have been made.”
When was the last time Messi and Ronaldo played against each other?
The two superstars have faced each other 36 times during their illustrious careers.
Messi has enjoyed the better record, being on the winning team in 16 of those games, compared to 11 wins for teams involving Ronaldo. Across those fixtures, the World Cup winner has scored one more goal than his great rival, with 22.
However, it was Ronaldo who came out on top in their most recent meeting back in December 2020.
His Juventus side travelled to Camp Nou needing a win in the final group stage fixture to finish top of Group G. Ronaldo scored two penalties — the first of which he won himself — in a 3-0 victory for the reigning Italian champions.
Source: theathletic.com
