It’s official, Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will be doing a pre-season tour in Saudi Arabia beginning in January. The key highlight will see Messi taking on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in a head-to-head match-up.
This will mark the 36th time that Messi and Ronaldo will meet in their careers. While the match won’t count for Messi’s squad, it’ll be Inter Miami’s first-ever preseason international tour.
Messi and Ronaldo will face on Thursday, February 1st, 2024 at 1 p.m. ET.
Adding a stop to our Preseason International Tour📍🌏
We will play two matches in Saudi Arabia in the Riyadh Season Cup as part of our first-ever international tour!
In a round-robin tournament format, we will take on Saudi powerhouses Al-Hilal SFC and Al Nassr FC on Monday,… pic.twitter.com/Xi9M0QApLi
— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) December 11, 2023
Inter Miami Set To Take on Neymar & Cristiano Ronaldo In Preseason Tour
Even though Messi and Ronaldo are in different leagues, the two will officially meet up early next year. Inter Miami confirmed on Monday they will be taking part in the Riyadh Season Cup, in which Inter Miami will be playing Al Hilal (Neymar’s team) on January 29th and Al Nassr (Ronaldo’s team) on February 1st.
In total Messi will face off in four total preseason games. The International Tour will begin on January 19th against El Salvador’s national team and another match on February 4 against Hong Kong’s top team.
“These matches will offer important tests for our team, which will benefit us as we approach the new season,” Inter Miami sporting director Chris Henderson said. “We’re excited for our group to get the chance to go up against teams with as much quality as Al-Hilal and Al Nassr.”
The MLS is expected to kick off on February 25, 2024. Just a few weeks before the start of the season, the squad will travel to Saudi Arabia for a pair of exhibition matches, reuniting three of the top players in the world.
Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo History
Both Messi and Ronaldo have met a total of 35 times across their careers. In those matchups, Messi has scored a total of 21 goals and been a part of 12 assists while Ronald has 20 goals and a single assist to his name.
Over 35 games, Messi has led his team to 16 wins compared to Ronaldo’s 11 wins.
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