Lionel Messi versus Criano Ronaldo rivalry to be renewed in Riyadh Season Cup match | Football News

For close to two decades, the footballing lexicon of the world has been dominated two titans. A generation of fans have seen two icons battle each other for dominance with the world at their feet, like two kaijus locked in an eternal battle for supremacy. But on Thursday night, Lionel Messi and Criano Ronaldo’s rivalry might be witnessing their last dance as Inter Miami lock horns with Al Nassr in a Riyadh Season Cup match.
But there is a big question mark on the generational clash. Because Ronaldo is nursing an injury and in a race against time to be fit for the much-anticipated game. The Portuguese talisman’s calf injury had forced Al Nassr to cancel two friendlies in China last week and if he can’t make the XI against Messi on Thursday, it’s likely to draw the final curtain on a rivalry that has encapsulated the hearts of the fans for so many years.
Al Nassr hasn’t yet announced Ronaldo’s withdrawal from the match.
Many have waxed lyrical on the two since they burst onto the scene in Manchester and Barcelona respectively with fans salivating at the prospect of the two meeting on the field for the first time. Their prayers were answered in 2009 when Ronaldo left Manchester United and inked a deal with Real Madrid and thus his fate with Messi has been intertwined ever since.
The last time they had met was when Lionel Messi’s PSG had taken on a combined team of Al Nassr and Al Hilal in January 2023
The two would set the La Liga on fire — Ronaldo with 450 goals in 438 appearances for the Los Blancos while Messi scored a whopping 672 goals in 778 matches for the Catalan giants. Before they both left Spain for Juventus and Paris Saint Germain respectively, they had engraved their names into hory as two of the best players of an entire generation.
Sharing 13 Ballon d’Ors between them, the level of dominance that the two megastars have had has been unheard of in hory and is unlikely to be replicated in the future even with the presence of players of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, Messi and Ronaldo’s heir apparent.
Coming back to Thursday, Messi’s foray into Inter Miami has attracted his ex-Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba to link up with him in the USA but they haven’t really had results that they had hoped for. While the four have shown glimpses of their old magic together in attack, Miami’s defence still have a lot of work to do. With the new MLS season on the horizon, Miami haven’t had the best of pre-seasons, still searching for their first win.
They have lost to FC Dallas and New York City FC, while a 0-0 draw with El Salvador where Messi and Suarez both started, will not raise the hopes of the fans. Earlier this week, they lost 4-3 to Al Hilal, the eternal rivals of Ronaldo’s Al Nassr. Suddenly, Ronaldo’s “Saudi Pro League is better than MLS” comments from last July have found a lifeline and if Al Nassr manages to get a result against Miami, you can bet that the echoes of that comment will haunt Messi and Co every time they lace up their boots this season.

Meanwhile, Al Nassr are currently on a five-game winning streak with Ronaldo on a hot streak of form, scoring 20 goals in 18 matches. If he is ready to go on matchday, expect a goal fest quite akin to Messi’s PSG vs Al Nassr/Al Hilal last year’s January which ended 5-4 in favour of the French champions with both stars on the scoresheet.
Now with Miami, Messi will be hoping to get one up over Ronaldo again but this time it looks like a tall task. Fans will, however, be hoping that they get to see these two gladiators lock horns against each other — for one last time.