Less than a month after their initial denial of the possible matchup between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in a friendly game next year, Inter Miami CF from the Major League Soccer have confirmed that they will be taking part in the Riyadh Season Cup 2024 in February, a three-team competition that will also involve Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and Neymar’s Al-Hilal. The news came shocking as the club co-owned by former Manchester United and Real Madrid player David Beckham released a statement to disaffirm that they were playing Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal next year last month, but this week’s sources have already verified that the last dance between Ronaldo and Messi will be going on early next year.
Inter Miami CF’s Statement on Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal Friendlies
In an announcement published on their official website, Inter Miami CF affirmed on their participation in the Riyadh Season Cup 2024. The statement titled “Inter Miami CF to Participate in Riyadh Season Cup as Part of International Tour During 2024 Preseason” reads: “Inter Miami CF announced today that it will travel to Saudi Arabia during 2024 preseason to participate in the Riyadh Season Cup as part of the Club’s first-ever international tour. The team will play two matches in the country in a round-robin tournament format, taking on Saudi powerhouses Al-Hilal SFC and Al-Nassr FC.”
Beckham and Messi’s Inter Miami CF also added about their detailed schedule the Riyadh Season Cup 2024. “Inter Miami CF will first take on Al-Hilal at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Monday, Jan. 29 at 1p.m. ET (9p.m. Saudi Arabia Standard Time). The Saudi side is the most decorated in the history of Asia with 66 titles to its name and currently sits atop the table in league play. The team is coached by former Sporting CP player and manager Jorge Jesus, and boasts star players such as Neymar (Who is unavailable through injury), Sergej Milinković-Savić, Rúben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrović, Kalidou Koulibaly and Malcom.
“Then, on Thursday, Feb. 1, the team will face Al-Nassr at the Kingdom Arena at 1p.m. ET (9p.m. Saudi Arabia Standard Time). The match will pit Inter Miami CF star Lionel Messi against a familiar opponent in Cristiano Ronaldo, who stars for Al-Nassr and is the Saudi Pro League’s leading goal scorer this season. The team, coached by Portuguese manager Luís Castro, currently sits second in the table behind Al-Hilal, and also features other stars like Sadio Mané and Aymeric Laporte.”
Quick link to Inter Miami CF’s initial denial of their participation in the Riyadh Season Cup 2024 here.
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Ronaldo vs. Messi: Head-to-Head Record
The match between Inter Miami CF and Al-Nassr is less than a couple of months away, hence let us now take a look at the previous meetings between the two greats in football.
Apart from their final encounter in the form of a friendly game between Riyadh XI that starred Ronaldo and Messi’s former club Paris Saint-Germain in the 2023 Riyadh Season Cup earlier this year, both players faced each other a total of 36 official club and international games in the past, namely in the Spanish La Liga, UEFA Champions League, Copa del Rey, Supercopa de España and international friendlies, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi having an edge of 16 wins as compared to Ronaldo’s 11. In terms of goal scoring records, Messi has tallied 22 goals in those 36 games, while Ronaldo is only a single goal behind at 21 against Messi’s sides.
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Ronaldo Achieved His Eighth Career 50-Goal Mark in a Calendar Year
The friendly will come at the best possible time for fans to have their chance of witnessing two of the greatest players to go against each other for the final round, as the 38-year-old Ronaldo recently completed his 50-goal mark in the calendar year of 2023. The Portugal national team and Al-Nassr captain was on the scoresheet for his club Al-Nassr in their King Cup of Champions Quarterfinal clash against Al-Shabab in an away trip, bringing his total tally in 2023 to a whooping 50 goals, with only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland able to match Ronaldo’s statistics at the moment.
The Portuguese all-time leading goal scorer in men’s international football netted Al-Nassr’s fourth goal in the 5-2 thumping victory over their opponent, and that was his 40th goal in the Saudi Pro League club jersey in addition to his 10 goals scored at international level this year. You can read about the full match details in this article right now.
Where to Watch Ronaldo vs. Messi in February 2024?
In case you have been wondering where can you access the possible final matchup between Ronaldo and Messi early next year, we would like to introduce you with a platform that serves you everything you need for football matches in all major and minor league and cup competitions in the world, AsiaSport.com. Be sure to sign up a FREE account and catch your favourite football stars, including Inter Miami CF’s Messi and Al-Nassr’s Ronaldo, in action before it is too late!
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have just come together to take the best picture of 2022. pic.twitter.com/w5RoCsFYhI
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) November 19, 2022
