"Would be amazing to see Cristiano Ronaldo competing against Lionel Messi" - Pundit urges Ronaldo to leave SPL and move to MLS

Former Manchester United centre-back Mikael Silvestre would like to see Cristiano Ronaldo team up against his arch-rival Lionel Messi in MLS. Ronaldo, 39, plies his trade for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

He arrived at the Pro League giants on a free transfer in December 2022 after two decades in European football with some of the top clubs in the continent, like Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus.

Meanwhile, Messi plays for MLS side Inter Miami, having spent 19 seasons in European football, with 17 of them at Barcelona, where he enjoyed a rousing rivalry with Ronaldo when he was at Real Madrid from 2009 to 2018.

Despite being in the twilight of their careers, both Ronaldo and Messi are still going strong for club and country, having amassed a staggering 907 and 849 goals, respectively.

Silvestre told Norskebettingsider (via Express) about Ronaldo possibly playing against Messi in MLS but doesn't see that happening anytime soon:

"It would be amazing to see Cristiano Ronaldo competing against Lionel Messi in the MLS, it would be a dream for football fans. However, I think he is happy in Saudi and is the face of the league out there.

"He is also still playing for Portugal. Maybe after the World Cup, he'll decide to make a change in what might be the last transfer of his career."

The two legends could have squared up in Saudi Arabia when Messi was mulling his options last summer after leaving PSG on a free transfer. Despite reported interest from clubs in the Kingdom, the Argentine eventually decided to head to MLS to embark on a new challenge.

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How did Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo fare during the October international break?

Lionel Messi (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are widely renowned as two of the best players to have ever graced the beautiful game, scoring goals and winning big titles galore for club and country.

The two legends had productive outings for their respective countries during the recent international break. Ronaldo scored in Portugal's 3-1 UEFA Nations League win over Poland in Warsaw before drawing a blank in the goalless draw with Scotland in Glasgow.

Meanwhile, Messi returned to international duty for Argentina after two months due to an ankle injury with a goalless outing in a 1-1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at Venezuela. However, he bagged a hat-trick and assisted twice in the 6-0 home win over Bolivia five days later.