Cristiano Ronaldo will make his debut in Saudi Arabia as he captains the Riyadh All-Star XI against Lionel Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain.
Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to play his first game in the Middle East since becoming the highest-paid player in football history after signing for Al Nassr.
The all-time highest goal scorer is set to captain the Riyadh All-Star XI when face off against Paris Saint-Germain in a friendly game later this week.
It is Ronaldo’s first match since joining Al Nassr officially on January 1, and he will lead out a team made up of players from Saudi sides Al Hilal and Al Nassr.
Other familiar names in the squad include Saudi Arabia internationals Salem Al-Dawsari, who scored in the shock group-stage win over Argentina in last year’s World Cup, and Saud Abdulhamid.
Although at this moment, it remains unclear if Messi, Ronaldo’s long-time rival, will be in the squad.
Ronaldo missed the first two domestic games for Al Nassr after his English football ban for knocking a phone out of a fan’s hand in April translated abroad, and will make his first competitive appearance in the Saudi Pro League on Sunday when Al Nassr host Al Ettifaq.
The friendly match is set to take place in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, January 19 at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.
It will kick off at 8pm local time which is 5pm in the UK.
