There was Ali and Frazier, Prost and Senna, Borg and McEnroe or even Federer and Nadal. But for many sports fans, no rivalry comes close to Ronaldo-Messi.
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Why this preamble? Simply because Cristiano Ronaldo will face Lionel Messi in a gala match tomorrow in Saudi Arabia. After the rumble in the jungle between Ali and Foreman, the fight in the desert between Messi and Ronaldo.
It will be the Portuguese’s first game since he signed a huge deal with Saudi club Al-Nassr earlier this month.
For the occasion, he will be part of a star team made up of his formation of Al-Nassr and the Al-Hilal club. They then face Messi and Paris Saint-Germain in Riyadh.
ambassador
Before we continue, we must remember what the 37-year-old Portuguese striker, who fell out of favor at Manchester United in the autumn in the autumn, is doing in Saudi Arabia before leaving the world by opening the door to the FIFA Cup struck.
Things were no better for him in Qatar, where he came on for Portugal. We imagine he still had a good Christmas season and knew what he was going to touch the day before Bye Bye aired.
Ronaldo effectively broke the bank by putting his name under a €400 million (CAD$575 million) contract on December 30. He who said he wanted to secure his family’s future.
But this contract has the special feature that it is not just for sport. Ronaldo will be paid €200 million (C$287.5 million) to play with Al-Nassr for two and a half years. He will receive the other half as ambassador for the joint candidacy of Saudi Arabia, Greece and Egypt to present the 2030 World Cup.
Necessary
There is of course this face-to-face between the two eternal rivals, but also the presence of other World Cup heroes that draws attention.
In fact, PSG are practically a star team as they also include Kylian Mbappé, disappointed finalist in Qatar, and Neymar. When we tell you it’s a gala match.
No one is therefore surprised to learn that we’ve snagged tickets to attend the event, which is taking place less than 600 kilometers west of where all these beautiful people parted less than a month ago.
According to ESPN, there was a virtual queue of over two million people to buy tickets online. I’m not sure the World Cup saw traffic like this.
rivalry
The rivalry between the two players exists much more in the minds of the media and fans than between them.
That’s because they spent the best years of their careers competing against each other. In fact, for nine seasons we’ve seen Ronaldo in Real Madrid’s shirt while Messi wore FC Barcelona’s colors.
Add to that the fact that they are the two best players of their time and we have all the ingredients to unleash passions.
It is enough to mention Ronaldo’s name in front of Messi fans for the insults to start and vice versa if you dare to say the Argentine’s name in front of the Portuguese supporters. There are very few rivalries that unleash so much passion in the world of modern football.
The rivalry in numbers
LIONEL MESSI
June 24, 1987 | 35 years | Rosario, Argentina
Photo archive, AFP
Lionel Messi and the other Paris Saint-Germain stars are eagerly awaited in Riyadh.
Professional since 2004
- annual salary: $62 million (C$83 million)
- Sponsorship Salary: $48 million (C$64.3 million)
- Sponsors: Adidas, Ooredoo, Gatorade, Lays, Huawei, Hawkers, Mastercard, Pepsi, Jacob & Co, Mengniu Dairy, Socios.com, Bidget, Mengniu.
teams
- 2004-2021 FC Barcelona : 672 goals
- 2021- Paris St Germain : 24 goals
National team
club records
FC Barcelona : 35 titles
League: 10th
- 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019
King’s Cup: 7th
- 2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 202
Spanish Super Cup: 8th
- 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018
Champions League: 4th
UEFA Super Cup: 3rd place
Club World Cup: 3rd
Paris St Germain : 2 titles
league 1
Champions Trophy
Successes with Argentina
- Winner of the 2022 World Cup
- Finalist 2014
Copa America
- Winner 2021
- Finalist 2007, 2015, 2016
CONMEBOL-UEFA Champions Cup
U20 World Cup
Olympic games
Individual Honors
Ballon d’Or
- 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021
FIFA World Player
RISTIANO RONALDO
February 5, 1985 | 37 years | Funchal, Portugal
Photo archive, AFP
Cristiano Ronaldo will play his very first game with Al-Nassr since leaving Manchester United.
Professional since 2002
- annual salary: $75 million (C$100.4 million)
- Sponsorship Salary: 60 million euros (86.7 million CAD)
- Sponsors: Nike, Clear, Altice/SFR, DAZN, Electronic Arts, MTG, Herbalife, Meo, American Tourister, Castrol Edge, Abbott, Pestana, Dubai Holding, Exness, Sixpad, Yamamay, Xtrad, Panzer Glass, ZujuGP, Therabody
teams
- 2002-2003 Sporty CP: 5 goals
- 2003-2009 Manchester United : 118 goals
- 2009-2018 Real Madrid : 450 goals
- 2018-2021 Juventus FC: 101 goals
- 2021-2022 Manchester United : 27 goals
- 2023 – At Nassr FC: 0 goals
National team
club records
Manchester United : 9 titles
Oberliga: 3
FA Cup
League Cup: 2nd
FA Community Shield
Champions League
Club World Cup
Real Madrid : 15 titles
League: 2nd
King’s Cup: 2
Spanish Super Cup: 2nd place
Champions League: 4th
UEFA Super Cup: 2nd
Club World Cup: 3rd
Juventus: 5 titles
Row A: 2nd
Copa Italia
Italian Super Cup
Successes with Portugal
- Euro 2016 winners
- Nations League Winner 2019
Individual Honors
Ballon d’Or
- 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017
FIFA World Player