Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed they will take on an Al-Hilal/Al Nassr all-star XI in Qatar later this month, a match that could see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo face each other for the final time!
With Ronaldo having left Europe for the first time in his career in favour of a big-money move to Saudi Arabia recently, many would have thought he was unlikely to face European opposition in the future.
However, PSG have now announced that they have set up an exhibition fixture against an Al-Hilal/Al Nassr all-star XI in Qatar, in which Ronaldo and Messi could once again meet.
Read: Ten Hag to make 'Ronaldo rule' at Man Utd?
A statement on the Parisians' official website read: "Paris Saint-Germain will travel to Doha and Riyadh on the 18th and 19th of January.
"This tour will be an opportunity for the Parisians to meet their Qatari and MENA supporters, train in the iconic Khalifa Stadium and take part in a series of activations organized with the Club's partners present in Qatar, such as Qatar Airways, ALL, Qatar Tourism, QNB, Ooredoo and Aspetar.
"The team will fly out on January 17th to Doha then travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to play against an all-star XI from Saudi top clubs Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr. The match will be held at King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on January 19th. The team will fly back after the game to Paris.
"This trip to Qatar, following the successful organization of the 2022 FIFA World Cup – is a new opportunity to shine the spotlight on the innovative features of the country's sports facilities."
Al Nassr boss Rudi Garcia has confirmed that Ronaldo will play in the fixture, but also revealed that he is not happy with the timing of the exhibition match.
"It (his debut) won't be with the Al Nassr jersey. It will be a mix between Al-Hilal and Al Nassr," he said.
"As the coach of Al Nassr, I cannot be happy with this match.
"For development, to see PSG, to see the great Parisian players, indeed it is a good thing. But we have a championship game three days later.
"In terms of scheduling, it could have been better thought out. But it's not a big deal… We are in the lead, we are happy.
"It is a difficult championship to win, but we intend to do it."
Read: 'How much longer can Chelsea owner tolerate with Potter'
Ronaldo and Messi's longstanding rivalry has perpetuated contentious debates over who is the better player between the pair, with the latter's recent 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph with Argentina deemed by many as the deciding factor in the conversation to see the Albiceleste skipper dubbed as "the greatest of all time".
The duo have not met since Juventus played against FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League in December 2020, and according to Transfermarkt, they have come up against each other on 36 occasions in their careers, with the Portugal international having been on the winning side in only 11 matches, while Messi emerged victorious on 16 outings.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH: MESSI GREETED WITH A GUARD OF HONOUR UPON PSG RETURN