It is a meeting that will be followed closely. PSG will travel to Riyadh on January 19 to face Cristiano Ronaldo’s new club Al-Nassr. A friendly match which will be an opportunity for Lionel Messi and the star of Portugal to cross swords again.
Before that, the Parisians will first go to Doha on January 17, as they have been accustomed to doing for training courses or tours since the club was taken over in 2011 by the sovereign fund Qatar Sports Investment (QSI).
But beyond the financial aspect of the operation, which will involve the sponsors of PSG, the trip will be the opportunity to organize the reunion, on the ground, of Messi and Ronaldo, historical rivals of world football for more than ten years.
Spotlight on the Saudi championship
The Portuguese star has just left Manchester United with a bang to commit to Al-Nassr until 2025. His arrival is part of the Saudi authorities’ desire to draw the spotlight on their championship, in sight, perhaps, to file a joint candidacy with Greece and Egypt to organize the World Cup in 2030, while its Qatari neighbor has just hosted the 2022 World Cup.
The opportunity is therefore good for the kingdom to plan a new meeting between Ronaldo, five-time Ballon d’Or, and Messi, seven-time winner of the trophy, at the international stadium of King Fahd, in Riyadh.
Their rivalry animated world football from 2009 to 2018, when they both played in the Spanish league, Ronaldo at Real Madrid and Messi at FC Barcelona.
Calendar problem?
French coach Rudi Garcia, on the Al-Nassr bench, confirmed the match on Sunday. “It will be a mix between Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr. For development, to see PSG, to see the great Parisian players, it’s actually a good thing (…) The main thing is that that demonstrates how keen Saudi Arabia is on sports, on football”.
However, this trip poses a problem in terms of the calendar: PSG must face an amateur-level formation, Reims Sainte-Anne (N3), Wasquehal (N2) or Pays de Cassel US (R1), in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France. France on January 21 or 22, two or three days after the meeting in Riyadh.