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For years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo shared the pitch as La Liga stars for Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively. On Thursday, the pair rejoined each other for an exhibition match between Messi’s PSG and the Riyadh All-Star XI, which is comprised of Saudi Pro League stars.
Both players found the back of the net in an eventful match, with PSG pulling out a 5–4 victory.
Messi opened the scoring with a goal in the third minute. Ronaldo leveled things with a 34th minute penalty, then scored again just before halftime to make the score 2–2 before heading to the dressing rooms. After Sergio Ramos gave PSG a 3–2 lead early in the second half, both Messi and Ronaldo were subbed off after an hour of play.
After the game, Ronaldo took to Twitter to express his gratitude for getting back on the field and seeing “some old friends.”
Ronaldo arrived in Saudi Arabia after a very acrimonious end to his time at Manchester United, which saw him benched before the two sides agreed to part ways in November. Given that he no longer plays in Europe, Thursday could be the final time Ronaldo, 37, and Messi, 35, share the pitch together.
The duo has won a combined 12 Ballon d’Or awards, and last met when Ronaldo’s Juventus faced Messi’s Barcelona in the Champions League in 2020.
