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‘The Last Dance’ – Messi, Ronaldo to clash again as Inter Miami play Al Nassr
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will face each other once again in their storied careers when Inter Miami play Al Nassr in a friendly game scheduled for February 2024 in Saudi Arabia.
According to the Daily Mail, the game is being billed as ‘The Last Dance’.
Messi and Ronaldo played against each other frequently when they were in Spain.
Messi was with Barcelona, while Ronaldo played for Real Madrid.
Before moving to MLS, Messi was approached by clubs in the Saudi Pro League, but chose to leave for the United States.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, signed for Al Nassr in December 2022 following a bitter split from Manchester United in his second spell at the club.
The game which is billed as ‘The Last Dance’ is likely to be the final match-up between two of the all-time greats of the sport.
“It’s the last dance of football greatness! Ronaldo vs Messi clash on the pitch. Watch Inter Miami FC compete against Al-Nassr FC in the Riyadh Season Cup,” wrote Almeria owner Turki Alalshikh on Twitter.
Messi, now 36, carved out the bulk of his legacy at Barcelona while Ronaldo, 38, hit similar heights at fierce rivals Real Madrid, after moving from Manchester United in 2009.
The Inter Miami man was targeted by the Saudi league and widely expected to follow Ronaldo there this year before ultimately deciding to join David Beckham’s Major League Soccer team.
Neymar Jr’s team Al Hilal will also be part of the three-team tournament, although the Brazilian will not be able to play due to injury.
Ronaldo’s Al Nassr team has ex-Liverpool and Bayern Munich attacker Sadio Mane, as well as former Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte, Ronaldo’s ex-United teammate Alex Telles and ex-Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina.