PSG confirm game against all-star XI from Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are set to play their first game against each other in over two years, though in an uncompetitive setting
Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed they will take on an all-star XI from Saudi Pro League sides Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr - Cristiano Ronaldo's new club - on Thursday 19 January in an exhibition match in the country's capital, Riyadh.
Qatar-owned PSG will travel to Doha for promotional work with the club's portfolio of Qatari sponsors, before heading to Saudi Arabia to take on the all-star XI in a friendly.
The game will take place at the King Fahd Stadium, which has a capacity of more than 68,000 people.
While Ronaldo is yet to make his debut for Al-Nassr, due to a two-game international ban issued by the FA, his manager, Rudi Garcia, confirmed the Portuguese forward is set to play in the match, despite not having appeared in the yellow shirt of Al-Nassr in a competitive fixture.
"It [Ronaldo's debut] won't be with the Al Nassr jersey. It will be a mix between Al Hilal and Al Nassr," Garcia said.
Ronaldo's inclusion will see him come up against old nemesis Lionel Messi for the first time since a Champions League match in December 2020, when they were at Juventus and Barcelona, respectively.
Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and former Real Madrid teammate Sergio Ramos will all also travel with the PSG squad to the Middle East. Al-Nassr are currently leading the Saudi Pro League, having won nine of their 12 games so far this season.
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Meanwhile, the current Asian Champions League and Saudi Pro League holders Al-Hilal boast Salem Al-Dawsari, the winger who scored Saudi Arabia's winning goal against Argentina at World Cup 2022.
Completing the trip amid a busy schedule, PSG will fit their Winter Tour in in between a Ligue 1 fixture against Rennes on Sunday, and their Round of 32 game the Monday eight days after - the opponent is still to be confirmed.
A statement from PSG read: “The team will fly out on January 17th to Doha then travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to play against an all-star XI from Saudi top clubs Al Hilal and Al Nassr.
“The match will be held at King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on January 19th. The team will fly back after the game to Paris.”
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.