An all-star team from the squads of Al-Hilal FC and Al-Nassr FC consisting of Cristiano Ronaldo has been created to face Paris Saint-Germain. On January 19, 2023, the combined Riyadh FC will face PSG for the Riyadh Season Cup at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.
Riyadh FC has released its squad and it seems that Ronaldo is set to make his debut in Saudi Arabia. He will be up against his arch-rival Lionel Messi as the Argentine is also set to appear in the match. An official PSG squad has not been revealed. It is, however, expected that the Ligue 1 champions are set to put up a strong squad. Kylian Mbappe, Neymar Jr., Sergio Ramos, and Achraf Hakimi are all set to make an appearance.
PSG’s schedule has been rearranged and their next competitive match is on January 24. This means they will be able to field their star players. With the game, however, coming in the middle of the season, the stars are not expected to play the full 90.
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Saudi leads against Argentina with another goal by Salem Al Dawsari#Argentina 1-2 #SaudiArabia#ARGKSA #ARG #KSA #Qatar2022 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/SmUnWUV5cq— The Peninsula Qatar (@PeninsulaQatar) November 22, 2022
For Riyadh FC, Ronaldo is set to be joined by the likes of Matheus Pereira and former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo of Al-Hilal. Alvaro Gonzalez and Talisca of Al-Nassr will also play. Argentinian coach Marcelo Gallardo is set to manage the team.
Other familiar names in Ronaldo’s team include Saudi internationals Salem Al-Dawsari and Saud Abdulhamid. Al-Dawsari scored for Saudi Arabia in their win over Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Cristiano Ronaldo set to captain Riyadh FC against Lionel Messi and PSG
It has been announced recently that Ronaldo will captain Riyadh FC against PSG. A video posted on Twitter by Turki Al-Sheikh, head of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), showed him handing the Portuguese superstar the captain badge in Riyadh. He is set to play for the first time after joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.
#VIDEO: @Cristiano Ronaldo chosen as the captain of the #Saudi Riyadh Season stars team in a match against Paris Saint-Germain, @Turki_alalshikh announces
— Saudi Gazette (@Saudi_Gazette) January 15, 2023
PSG is traveling to the Middle East as part of its annual winter tour. They will leave on January 17th and travel to Doha to meet their Qatari supporters. The squad will be staying in the region for three days and play against the all-star team from Riyadh on Thursday.
The match has generated enormous interest from all over the world. All tickets were sold out within hours that too two weeks ahead of the match. A Saudi Arabian businessman also paid 10,000,000 Riyal (US$2.66 million) to buy a ticket for the big event. It is the costliest ticket ever sold in sports.