Argentine coach Marcelo Gallardo recently confirmed that he will be on the touchline during the all-star clash that might see Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi face off yet again.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are set to take on the Saudi Pro League (SPL) all-star XI in a friendly. The Saudi Arabian team will be formed with players from Riyadh-based teams Al-Hillal and Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo, formerly of Manchester United and Real Madrid, might be in contention to play in that game, though he is yet to take make his Al-Nassr debut after making his record-breaking move.
PSG, meanwhile, will boast superstars like Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe in their ranks. While Christophe Galtier will be in charge of the Parisians as usual, Gallardo will be taking care of the SPL all-star team.
The former River Plate manager recently announced in a brief statement (via ver o fato):
“I want to announce that on January 19th I will be in charge of Riad Season which will be formed with players from Al Hilal and Al-Nassr. See you soon.”
Al-Nassr are currently at the top of the SPL with 26 points from 11 games and lead second-placed Al-Shahab by a point. Ronaldo's signing will be a massive boost for the team. The club, however, will need to get rid of one foreign player before registering Ronaldo.
PSG are also at the top of the league table in France. The Parisians currently have 44 points from 17 games and lead second-placed Lens by four points.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi last faced off in 2020
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have given fans many memorable duels over the years. The best era of their rivalry came during the duo's time in the Spanish top flight.
Messi and Ronaldo, however, haven't faced each other since December 2020. Their last duel came when Juventus faced Barcelona in an away clash in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.
Ronaldo's Juventus came out victorious on that occasion. The Old Lady earned a 3-0 win with the Portuguese ace bagging a brace.
It will be interesting to see whether a new chapter will be written in the eternal rivalry as they might face each other in a friendly later this month.