Ace footballer Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly captain the Al Nassr-Al Hilal combined XI that will take on Lionel Messi’s Paris-Saint Germain (PSG) in a match on Thursday, January 19.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Entertainment Chairman Turki Al-Sheikh took to Twitter to share a video clip. In the video clip, Turki Al-Sheikh presented the captain’s armband to Ronaldo ahead of the match, confirming the decision.
الوعد ان شاءالله يوم ١٩ يناير … لقاء فوق الخيال … ومدير الفريق الكابتن خالد الشنيف ان شاءالله والتشكيلة غداً بيعلنها المدرب وخالد … اتمنى يومها ننسى الهلال والنصر ساعتين ونصير كلنا موسم الرياض… وبعد الساعتين نوقف الهدنة 😂🇸🇦❤️ pic.twitter.com/nttB07IgBb
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) January 15, 2023
It will be Ronaldo’s debut match on Saudi Arabian soil, as he signed for Al Nassr for a world record fee of $214 million last month. Ronaldo missed Al Nassr’s Saudi Pro-league matches due to a two-match suspension imposed by the English FA in 2022.
Al Nassr coach Rudi Garcia disclosed last week that Ronaldo was gearing up for his debut in the friendly. He said,
“It won’t be with the Al Nassr jersey. It will be a mix between Al Hilal and Al Nassr. As the coach of Al Nassr, I cannot be happy with this match. For development, to see PSG, to see the great Parisian players, indeed it is a good thing. But we have a championship game three days later.”
Ronaldo and Messi’s clash is a much-awaited event, especially after the latter won the World Cup trophy. There had been constant debates on who’s better, but Messi’s World Cup victory has tipped the scales in his favor. Meanwhile, there have been rumors which suggested that Messi may join Al Hilal after his contract with PSG is over.
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