In February 2024, mark your calendars for the “last dance” between two of the greatest footballers of all time: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The World Cup in 2026 will see them leading their respective countries, Argentina and Portugal, on the pitch once again.
On that same day, Inter Miami and Al-Nassr will meet in Riyadh for a mini-tournament called the Riyadh Season Cup. Al Hilal will also be participating in the league-format tournament, with everyone playing against everyone. The schedule for this exciting event will be announced later.
Marcelo Brozović, a Croatian national team member and Cristiano Ronaldo’s teammate, will be directly involved in this historic matchup. If it were played a few months later, Luka Modrić may also have been part of it as he is a potential club for his future career. However, we’ll have to wait until next summer to see if he makes an appearance.
Messi and Ronaldo have already met on the field 37 times before this final showdown. While Ronaldo has won slightly more matches (11 wins compared to Messi’s 17), nine of their games ended in a draw. Their last clash was particularly memorable when PSG won (5-4) against Al-Nassr and Al Hilal led by Ronaldo.
Despite their differences in style and play, both players are widely regarded as having made significant contributions to the sport and setting new standards that may be difficult to break in the near future. As always, opinions about who is better will vary greatly depending on individual preferences, but there is no denying that these two have left an indelible mark on football history.
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