One of the most famous rivalries in modern football history will see at least one more chapter in early 2024.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, winners of 13 Ballon d’Ors and countless other trophies and records between them, will clash this week when Al Nassr takes on Inter Miami in Saudi Arabia.
The match is an exhibition match that serves a dual purpose: it is a useful pre-season and mid-season warm-up match for the Inter Miami and Al Nassr teams preparing for a busy year, while it is also one of the most highlights of Riyadh’s last season. – a state-funded sports and entertainment festival held in Saudi Arabia every year.
The Jugo Mobile has details on the kick-off time of the match, plus the latest on Ronaldo’s injury problem and some background on the Riyadh Season Cup, the trophy these two giants of the game will compete for.
What time is the Ronaldo vs Messi 2024 match?
The friendly match between Al Nassr and Inter Miami will begin at 9 pm local time on Thursday, February 1, 2024.
The game will take place at the Kingdom Arena, a 30,000-capacity venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is where Al Hilal of the Saudi Pro League play their home games.
Here’s how the start time translates in some of the major territories around the world:
| Date | Start time | |
| USA | Thursday February 1 | 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time |
| Canada | Thursday February 1 | 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time |
| United Kingdom | Sunday, January 21 | 6:00 pm GMT |
| Australia | Friday, February 2 | 5am AEDT |
| India | Thursday February 1 | 11:30 pm Eastern Time |
Does Ronaldo play against Inter Miami?
There has been no indication yet as to whether Ronaldo will be fit enough for the scheduled match between Al Nassr and Inter Miami on February 1.
Al Nassr’s recent run of friendlies during their mid-season break has been complicated by an injury Ronaldo suffered during a training camp.
The 38-year-old coach suffered a muscle problem that forced the postponement of his team’s scheduled matches in China against Shanghai Shenhua and Zheijang. Frustrated fans were photographed gathering en masse at Al Nassr’s hotel and the police had to be called to ensure the situation did not worsen.
If Ronaldo does not recover in time for Inter Miami’s visit, it is still unclear whether the match will go ahead or be postponed.
History of the confrontation between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the most legendary players of this generation and their rivalry has been well documented over the last two decades.
The two have faced each other 35 times throughout their careers, with Messi winning 16 times to Ronaldo’s 10, as well as nine draws. Messi claimed the most recent clash when PSG won their friendly 5-4 in Riyadh last time out.
In his career matchups, Messi scored 21 goals and 12 assists, while Ronaldo recorded 20 goals and one assist in those 35 games.
What is the Riyadh Season Cup?
Riyadh Season is a Saudi government-sponsored sports and entertainment festival that takes place in the country’s capital sometime during the winter, usually between October and March. The Riyadh Season Cup is an annual exhibition match played during the heart of the Riyadh Season festival.
Riyadh’s inaugural season, which began in 2019, ran from October to January and the country attracted a combined 10 million visitors to the event. It featured 12 different “zones” in Riyadh that held various eventsincluding car shows, pop-up restaurants, fairgrounds, and many other shows, including sporting events like WWE.
Last season, the event hosted a friendly between Riyadh Season Tea and PSG, pitting Messi against Ronaldo in the latter’s first match after joining Al Nassr. The latest clash will be the second time in as many seasons that the two will meet on the field in Riyadh, fitness permitting.
The 2020/21 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Riyadh season The festival returned at the end of 2021.which will last the entire season and will have a larger surface area and new events such as a video game festival and a Pitbull concert.
The 2021/22 event was also due to feature the first visit of PSG, as the French team would come to play Al Hilal/Al Nassr All-Stars, in what would have been the first of an annual friendly match. However, it was ultimately postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions, with PSG coming to visit the showcase last season to celebrate the long-awaited showdown between Messi and Ronaldo.
