2024-02-19 12:51:57
Foto: Oday Jamil Moari & Yes Market Media | Shutterstock
Text: Raúl del Pino
Inter Miami recently confirmed what Arabia announced last November: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will have one last dance – another one? – when the American eleven team visits the Saudi capital for two matches against local clubs: Al-Hilal and Al Nassr.
The fans of the most universal of sports are already beginning to rub their hands and mark on the calendar the date that in just 50 days will bring the two most popular footballers of this century face to face again, and probably from history, with the exception of David Beckham.
On February 1, 2024, the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh could become the last venue where these two legends share a football field again. However, it will not be the first time that the MLS Leagues Cup champion faces the Portuguese scorer in Arab territory, since last January he already faced him wearing the Paris Saint-Germaín shirt.
That memorable match featured the presence of other stars such as Kyllian Mbappé and Neymar, on the French side, while Ronaldo captained a selection of players from the two clubs in the city.
Beyond the party that ended with a score of 5-4 in favor of the Parisians, it was the historic Messi vs Cristiano rivalry that grabbed all the headlines. The one then sold as “Last Dance” did not disappoint and both players managed to score to leave the scoring tally at 23 goals per side in direct confrontations.
A year later, another opportunity appears to get the most out of that everlasting duel, especially because both have known how to reinvent themselves throughout this season and continue to be dominant and protagonists in the leagues where they currently play.
Just this weekend, Cristiano reached 50 goals in the year 2023 with Al Nassr, a figure that no other player has achieved on the entire planet. Messi, for his part, is taking a break after a very intense last few months in which he led the successes of Inter Miami and the Argentina team.
The dream of all fans is that the careers of both legends never end, or at least can extend until the next World Cup in 2026, something that may seem unlikely to many, but that Messi and Cristiano never have discarded. Will it be?