It was billed as both a friendly, and one last chance to see two of the sport’s greatest men face to face. Star-studded Paris Saint-Germain faced a Saudi all-star XI at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday in what turned out to be a nine-goal thriller that brought a spirited close to the legendary rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo and Messi were both in unfamiliar colors for the clash – Messi swapped the Catalan colors for PSG blue and Ronaldo donned the jersey for the Saudi All-Star XI, which was played between two major Riyadh-based clubs, Al-Nassr There was a combined super team of players from FC and Al Hilal SFC. But the effort on the field seemed to turn back the clock, for a shining hour.
Fresh from the World Cup, PSG had a selection of top talent, with Messi runner-up Kylian Mbappe, semi-finalist Achraf Hakimi and quarter-finalist Neymar all in the starting lineup. Meanwhile, Ronaldo was making his first professional appearance on Saudi Arabian soil and captaining his side to boot. His mere presence on the field and on screen before kickoff caused an explosion of massive cheers from the crowd.