It’s a match to get the whole of the football world watching, and when Lionel Messi faces Cristiano Ronaldo for what’s expected to be one last time in 2024, that’s almost guaranteed to happen.
The two best players in the world for the last 20 years, and in many people’s opinion two of the best ever, will meet in a ‘last dance’ at the Riyadh Season Cup.
The Last Dance
?????? ??????? ???? ?????? ??? ????? ??????? ? ???????? ???? ????? ???? ?? ???? ????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ??????… ?????
?? ??????? ????? ? Feb 2024
It's the last dance of football greatness! ?
Ronaldo vs Messi clash on the pitch.Watch Inter Miami FC… pic.twitter.com/3aHtVGtFQI
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) November 21, 2023
Announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday evening, the match will form part of a tournament which will also include current Saudi Pro League leaders, Al Hilal.
The National note that the Messi v Ronaldo showdown will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh in early February.
There are other narratives that will be at play too.
For example, Al Nassr can also count David Ospina, Aymeric Laporte, Alex Telles, Marcelo Brozovic and Sadio Mane in their ranks, whilst Inter Miami have Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba as part of their squad, and Luis Suarez set to join them in January.
Tickets are sure to be like gold dust and, though the match will clearly be billed as a friendly, one can imagine with the egos involved and the pride at stake, the game will be much more that for its participants and is therefore likely to be a must-watch.