Ronaldo to captain Saudi Arabia all-star XI against Lionel Messi’s PSG

Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo will captain Saudi Arabia all-stars when they take on Lionel Messi and the rest of the Paris Saint Germain (PSG) on Thursday. 

Ronaldo is set to face his old rival Messi, possibly for one last time, as PSG take on the all-star XI from Saudi Arabia's Professional League. 

The clash was initially scheduled for 2021 but was postponed due to coronavirus concerns. However, the two sides will now meet on Thursday in what will also be Ronaldo’s first game in the gulf nation since he signed his money-spinning deal with Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo joined the Saudi Arabian club on a two-year deal worth €200m per year but he is yet to make his debut for the club due to a two-match ban he received while at Manchester United. 

Nonetheless, he is expected to lead the all-star XI out in the game against PSG. The match could potentially see Ronaldo and Messi face each other for one last time. 

Both players have had a long-standing rivalry since they first met in 2007. They battled against each other while they both played for Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively. 

However, they have not faced each other since Juventus beat Barcelona in a Champions League match in 2020. 

It looked like they would not face each other again following Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr, but PSG’s mid-season tour of Saudi has set up one last encounter.  Messi leads the head-to-head with 16 wins to Ronaldo’s 11.