Messi, Ronaldo to meet in friendly as Inter Miami head to Saudi

Ballon d’Or winners Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are set to square off once more despite now playing in different continents.

The duo will battle against each other when Inter Miami plays Al-Nassr in a preseason friendly in Saudi Arabia in February.

The meeting will be part of the Riyadh Season Cup, with Miami and Al-Hilal playing on January 29.

“These matches will offer important tests for our team,” Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson said.

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“We’re excited for our group to get the chance to go up against teams with as much quality as Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr.”

Widely regarded as all-time greats, forwards Messi and Ronaldo first met in 2008 when Manchester United beat Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals and have faced each other on a further 34 occasions.

Argentine Messi had won on 16 occasions and Portuguese Ronaldo coming out on top in 10 fixtures, while nine have ended in a draw.

Across those 35 encounters, Messi has scored 21 goals and laid on 12 assists, while Ronaldo has 20 goals and one assist to his name.

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