Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi faced off for what could very well be the final time on Thursday.
Following Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia earlier this month, opportunities to come up against his old foe will be few and far between. Messi had been linked with a move to join him in the Gulf State, but now looks set to sign a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain.
And Messi was part of the PSG team that travelled to Riyadh to take on a Saudi All Star XI which included the former Real Madrid and Manchester United superstar.
Unsurprisingly, the pre-match talk was dominated by Messi and Ronaldo renewing their rivalry - albeit with the stakes at their lowest. It may be the last occasion where two of the greatest players of all time face off, with both now in the twilights of their glittering career.
The game also meant the age-old debate over who the best ever resurfaced, with battle lines drawn over the last 15 years of global domination. Kylian Mbappe was also in the PSG line-up and has made no secret of where his allegiances lie in the GOAT debate.
"He is a Real Madrid fan and his idol is Cristiano Ronaldo," Mbappe’s father explained back in 2016. "He used to spend hours watching videos [of Ronaldo] on the internet."
Then after a meeting on international duty, Mbappe posted an image alongside the Portuguese icon, with the caption “Idol”, accompanied by a crown and goat emoji. And even teaming up with Messi hasn’t changed his view, making it clear in recent times he is still in the Ronaldo camp.
Following the 37-year-old’s elimination from the World Cup in Qatar, Ronaldo posted a lengthy statement on Instagram, with Mbappe replying with the familiar emojis. Then on the eve of the final, a final which would be dominated by the PSG star and his Argentine colleague, Abdou Diallo revealed Mbappe was unmoved with his verdict.
"Cristiano Ronaldo is literally everything to Kylian Mbappe,” the PSG defender explained: "If you mention Lionel Messi against Cristiano, Mbappe will debate with you for at least an hour. For him, Cristiano is untouchable."
And his admiration was on clear display during the thrilling friendly, which ended 5-4 to the French champions. The pair shared a moment shortly after half-time, with Ronaldo sporting a nasty black eye following a clash with Keylor Navas.
The incident happened during the opening 45 minutes when Navas inadvertently punched his ex-Los Blancos team-mate when attempting to clear the ball. Ronaldo picked himself up off the tuf to fire home the spot-kick, which levelled the game following Messi’s early opener.
Marquinhos then put the hosts in front before Ronaldo scored his second of the game, his first in Saudi Arabia. Sergio Ramos then put PSG back in front, only for Jang Hyun-soo to make it 3-3 minutes later.
Mbappe then got in on the act from the spot, with Hugo Ekitike establishing a two-goal lead for the first time in the match. Anderson Talisca then scored a late consolation and though PSG lifted the shield after the game, it was Mbappe’s idol Ronaldo who was awarded Player of the Match.
