Potential Cristiano vs. Messi clash as part of 2023 Riyadh Season Cup

Marcelo Gallardo has been confirmed as the coach of the Riyadh All-Star team made up of players from Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr that will face PSG on 19 January.

A combined team featuring the best players from Riyadh based sides Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr will face Paris Saint Germain on 19 January in the Saudi City as part of the 2023 Riyadh Season Cup.

The combined side featuring players from the top flight Saudi Roshn Saudi League will be coached by former River Plate manager Marcelo Gallardo. The Argentine manager has been without a team since last November, when he led River in his farewell games against Colo Colo and Betis with the news of El Muñeco’s return to the bench being announced by Almeria owner Turki Al-Sheikh, in a video posted on the social network Twitter.

The last Cristiano vs Messi clash?

The Riyadh Season, an entertainment and sports festival sponsored by the Saudi state, will be the setting for possibly the last Cristiano vs. Messi. Paris Saint-Germain will visit Riyadh during the most-awaited Riyadh Season, which attracted over 10 million visitors in its first edition in 2019. The match between the Ligue 1 side and the local talent will be one of the top events as part of the 2023 Riyadh Season.

The rivalry between ‘El Bicho’ and ‘La Pulga’ has developed for more than a decade with the last on-field duel between the two football giants on 8 December 8, in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.

At that time, Leo Messi was still the captain and legend of FC Barcelona, while Cristiano Ronaldo lead the line for Serie A giants Juventus. That match saw a win for the ‘Vecchia Signora’, with a double from ‘CR7′. Since then, much has changed in the lives of both footballers. Messi recently lifted the 2022 World Cup trophy in Lusail after Argentina beat France in the World Cup final as Ronaldo left Manchester United under a cloud and joined Saudi side Al-Nassr as part of a big money move.