Cristiano Ronaldo finally stepped on to the field in Saudi Arabia as he made his debut in the country, leading the Saudi All-Star against Lionel Messi’s PSG in a friendly. The two GOATs, as they say, were reunited for the first time since Ronaldo left Europe for Asia last month. It was a glittery contest for the Arab fans as it was not only a Messi vs Ronaldo battle, but also included the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi, Marco Verratti all in action.
In what could be their last ever face-off, Messi triumphed over Cristiano Ronaldo’s All-Star team in a thriller encounter which saw nine goals scored. Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe, Ramos were all on the scoresheet as PSG outclassed the Saudi side in a 4-3 win. Ronaldo hit a brace for his side as he once again proved that he has still got it despite leaving Europe. However, the Portuguese was still baffled after being named man of the match despite being on the losing side.
Cristiano Ronaldo confused while collecting the man of the match award
Cristiano Ronaldo seemed to enjoy every minute of his debut with his new teammates, in a game which reunited him with some of his former mates. He led the All-Star team as their captain, and even delivered a performance of that kind. While his rival Messi opened the scoring right in the third minute, Ronaldo levelled things from the spot after being taken out by his former teammate Keylor Navas.
The captain on the night once again put things at par after PSG captain Marquinhos had restored his side’s lead. This time, it was another of his former Real Madrid teammates, Sergio Ramos, who failed to clear the ball after Ronaldo’s powerful header came off the crossbar. While Ramos missed, Ronaldo hit the rebound in the back of the net with his left foot as the teams headed into half-time with the scoreline locked at 2-2.
However, Ramos made amends for his first half failure, scoring in the 53rd minute to put PSG ahead. But Jang Hyun-soo notched an equalizer for the Saudi team, as PSG then hit top gear to race to a two-goal lead with Mbappe and Ekitike scoring a goal a piece. All-Star’s Talisca pulled one back in the stoppage time, but it was too little too late as PSG emerged victorious.
However, with the winning side’s Messi and Mbappe putting on brilliant performances, it was Cristiano Ronaldo who collected the man of the match award. Although his brace was commendable, the 37-year-old himself looked confused and rather bemused at the fact that he was posing the award ahead of other deserving candidates. Even among his teammates, Talisca was more influential throughout the game than his captain, scoring a wonderful goal as well in the injury time.
Nonetheless, it was a starring night for Cristiano Ronaldo, scoring two goals on his Saudi debut. It was the first he step foot on the pitch after completing his mouthwatering move to Al Nassr. The former Manchester United forward has signed a stunning 2.5 year deal with the Riyadh outfit which will make him the highest paid athlete the world of sports has ever seen, let alone football.