In a thrilling display of football, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo faced off in a high-octane friendly as Paris Saint-Germain triumphed 5-4 over a Riyadh All-Star XI on Thursday.
The match, held in the King Fahd Stadium in Saudi Arabia, marked a potential final showdown between the two legends of the game. The encounter, while an exhibition, was played with intense energy, offering fans a spectacle of goals and near-constant action.
Messi struck first, netting a goal within three minutes, but Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot after a collision with PSG’s goalkeeper, Keylor Navas. The game took a dramatic turn when Juan Bernat of PSG was sent off for a foul on Salem Al Dawsari, though Marquinhos soon restored PSG’s lead with a deft finish from a Kylian Mbappé cross.
The excitement continued as Neymar’s penalty was saved, but Ronaldo managed to score again just before halftime after his initial header struck the post. Ronaldo, who has yet to make his competitive debut for Al Nassr following his move post-World Cup, thrilled the crowd with his signature celebration.
The second half saw no letup in the action, with Sergio Ramos putting PSG back in front thanks to another superb Mbappé assist. Jang Hyun-soo equalized for the Riyadh side, but Mbappé converted a second penalty to put PSG ahead once more.
Both Messi and Ronaldo were substituted shortly after the hour mark, yet the game maintained its frenetic pace. Youngster Hugo Ekitike added a fifth for PSG, while Anderson Talisca’s long-range effort provided a late consolation for the All-Star XI.
The exhibition was a showcase of footballing talent, with Saudi Pro League chairman AbdulAziz Al-Afaleq praising the performance of local players against global stars. However, the match has faced criticism from Amnesty International, which labeled it an example of sportswashing.
Amnesty UK’s economic affairs director, Peter Frankental, criticized the game as part of a broader effort by Saudi Arabia and Qatar to use high-profile sports events to divert attention from their human rights records.
He emphasized the need for football stars like Ronaldo and Messi to resist being co-opted into these efforts and to advocate for human rights issues in the respective countries.