"One last dance", "Battle of the GOATS" - Fans react as Lionel Messi's Inter Miami are set to clash with Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr next year
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are set to lock horns one last time as Inter Miami will face Al-Nassr in a friendly in February 2024.
The Saudi Pro League giants will meet the MLS franchise in a mid-season friendly as part of the Riyadh Season Cup, per BarcaUniversal. Fans could witness the final battle between two of the all-time greats.
Messi, 36, joined Inter Miami as a free agent in the summer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner has made a blistering start to his career in the MLS, with 11 goals and five assists in 14 games across competitions.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo, 38, headed to Al-Nassr in January after departing Manchester United by mutual consent in November 2022. The five-time UEFA Champions League winner has rolled back the years with 30 goals and 11 assists in 36 games across competitions.
Thus, the longtime rivals have both departed Europe and many have concluded that their incredible rivalry has come to an end. They have faced one another in 36 games during their careers, with Messi getting the better of Ronaldo on 16 occasions while losing 11 times.
However, the iconic duo did reignite their rivalry when Riyadh All Stars met PSG in a friendly in January. The Ligue 1 giants won 5-4 with Ronaldo bagging a brace and Messi also scoring.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo may now end their GOAT battle when Inter Miami meet Al-Nassr next year. Fans are excited to see the duo wage war yet again with one fan dubbing it:
"Battle of the GOATS."
Another fan called it:
"The last dance."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to the news that the longtime rivals will square off in a mid-season friendly:
Cristiano Ronaldo made a bold claim about the Saudi Pro League after Lionel Messi arrived in the MLS
Cristiano Ronaldo insisted that the Saudi Pro League was superior to the MLS after Lionel Messi was unveiled as an Inter Miami player. Club football's all-time top goalscorer said (via The Guardian):
"The Saudi league is better than MLS. Now all the players are coming here. In one year, more top players will come to Saudi Arabia."
Both the Saudi Pro League and MLS are growing in prominence and several European superstars have joined. The likes of Karim Benzema, Neymar, and Sadio Mane arrived in the Middle East this past summer, following in Cristiano Ronaldo's footsteps.
However, Lionel Messi has some familiar faces not only in the MLS but at Inter Miami. He reunited with Barcelona legends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba at DRV PNK Stadium.