Cristiano Ronaldo posted a photograph of himself embracing Lionel Messi with a message to “old friends” after facing the Argentine in a friendly.
Paris Saint-Germain’s clash with Saudi Arabia All-Stars, made up of Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal players, was billed as potentially the last time the duo would face off on a football pitch.
It was Messi who came out on top with a 5-4 win for PSG in an end-to-end, entertaining game.
But Ronaldo outscored his former Ballon d’Or nemesis, hitting two late first-half goals after Messi opening the scoring in the third minute.
After the game, the 37-year-old tweeted: “So happy to be back on the pitch, and on the score sheet!! And nice to see some old friends!”
The friendly counted as Ronaldo’s debut in Saudi football since signing for Al-Nassr before having to serve a two-game ban from his time at Manchester United, as well as his first outing after the World Cup.
It was not all plane sailing for him however as his first goal came following a penalty being awarded for a crunching blow from Keylor Navas.
So happy to be back on the pitch, and on the score sheet!! And nice to see some old friends!👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/qZqKGHsrVD
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) January 19, 2023
The pair both missed a high ball and Ronaldo looked in pain before scoring from the spot, his hefty facial bruise attracting the attention of Kylian Mbappe.
Both Messi and Ronaldo, as well as Mbappe and Neymar, were taken off after an hour ahead of their games on the weekend, the Al-Nassr star aiming for his competitive debut against Ettifaq.
