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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are set to face each other one last time in the Riyadh Season Cup in February next year. Pundit Rio Ferdinand is just as excited as the rest of the football fans to receive the news.
The Riyadh Season Cup is held annually, having first taken place in 2019, as a means to promote entertainment and sports in Saudi Arabia. This year, Cristiano Ronaldo led a Saudi All-Stars XI to a 5-4 defeat against Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain.
In the 2024 edition, which will take place in February, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Inter Miami will face off for the title in Riyadh. The tournament is meant to bring together three of the best players of the last decade, but Neymar will miss out through injury.
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Ferdinand is evidently excited to see the news of the tournament, which has now been tagged as the 'Last Dance between the greats. The former Manchester United man took to X (formerly Twitter) to show his joy at the upcoming meeting with an exclamation.
"Jheeeeeeeeeeze!"
Inter Miami were meant to visit China this month to play two friendlies to spread their wings as a club, but their tour was canceled. They will now get an opportunity to visit another Asian country with the added incentive of a trophy on the line.
The Riyadh Season Cup will bring together some of the finest players to have featured in Europe in recent years. The likes of Sadio Mane, Kalidou Koulibaly, Aleksandr Mitrovic, Ruben Neves, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and others will be there.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi set for 38th and possibly final meeting at Riyadh Season Cup
In the Riyadh Season Cup meeting between PSG and the Saudi League XI earlier this year, both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were on target. Many guessed that this would be the final meeting of the duo, but another encounter has now been thrown up.
Messi and his Inter Miami teammates will be fresh out of preseason before they attend the tournament in Riyadh. The MLS season is set to kick off in February 2024, and the tournament will possibly be held before the first game.
The next edition of the tournament will give one of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi a chance to land a sucker punch on the other. Both men will be eager to lead their team to victory in what will likely be the 38th and final meeting of their careers.
