New signing for Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo, will lead a Saudi All-Star XI team in a friendly match against Lionel Messi's Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday.
Ronaldo has already been given the duty of leading the Riyadh Season Team, which will include players from Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal, in what will be his first game since joining Al-Nassr last month in a deal that would pay him £175 million annually.
Ronaldo has been given the captain's armband and will soon make his international debut in Saudi Arabia at the King Fahd International Stadium.
With PSG presently touring the Middle East, he will face longtime adversary Lionel Messi in his opening game.
The two, who have shared 12 Ballon d'Or victories, may never again square off against one another on the field.
During their tenure in Spain, Cristiano and Messi developed a fierce rivalry, featuring prominently in multiple El Clasicos for Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.
In 2018, the Portuguese international moved to Juventus from Spain, and since the Italian powerhouses' December 2020 visit to the Nou Camp, Ronaldo hasn't faced off against Messi.
Al-Hilal, a Saudi team eager to capture Messi this summer in a move that might reignite his rivalry with Ronaldo, is said to have made him a sizable offer. Al-Ittihad, a Saudi rival team, is also eager to lure Messi to the region.
Ronaldo has had to wait to make his Al-Nassr debut since he was formally introduced as a player at the end of December.
It is worth mentioning here that two days before Portugal's FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign got underway, United and Ronaldo mutually agreed to end their contract which was reportedly a result of the star footballer's explosive interview with Piers Morgan on Talk TV.
Ronaldo claimed he felt "betrayed" by club members for attempting to force him out and claimed Ten Hag doesn't show him respect.