Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are set to lock horns for (potentially) the final time in their careers in February, when Al-Nassr face Inter Miami in the Riyadh Season Cup.
Billed as 'The Last Dance', the pair will play in the second match of the round robin tournament at Riyadh's Kingdom Arena on Thursday 1 February, following Inter Miami's game against Al-Hilal on Monday 29 January.
The Riyadh derby between Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal will conclude the tournament on Thursday 8 February, with the team which finishes their two games with the most points crowned Riyadh Season Cup winners.
In total, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have faced each other 37 times during their esteemed careers, with the Argentine winning 17 games compared to Ronaldo's 11. Both have bagged 23 goals each in those 37 match-ups, though, with their latest encounter coming in January 2023.
With Ronaldo having recently moved to Saudi Arabia and Messi at PSG, the French side travelled to the Middle East for a couple of winter friendlies. Ronaldo, playing for a Riyadh All-Stars XI, bagged twice, but Messi's PSG prevailed 5-4.
"These matches will offer important tests for our team," Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson said. "We're excited for our group to get the chance to go up against teams with as much quality as Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr."
As well as Cristiano Ronaldo, Al-Nassr have players such as Sadio Mane and Marcelo Brozovic among their ranks to compete in the tournament. Al-Hilal, currently leading the Saudi Pro League, meanwhile, can call upon Messi's former Barcelona and PSG team-mate Neymar, Ruben Neves and Salem Al-Dawsari - the forward who felled Argentina at World Cup 2022 last year.
Whether this will truly be the final time Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi share a football pitch, though, remains to be seen. Despite that, the Portuguese forward did state in September that "the rivalry is over", with both players now playing out the final years of their careers in completely different continents.
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