The supervisors of the Riyadh season announced that an agreement had been reached with American team Inter Miami, led by its Argentinian star Lionel Messi, to play a friendly three-way match with two Saudi teams, Al-Nasr and its Portuguese star. , Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Hilal.
Hours after the news was announced, Inter Miami reneged on its commitment to take part in the treble in the first week of next February at the Kingdom Arena in the capital Riyadh, which was recently inaugurated at the opening ceremony of the fourth edition. Riyadh season, according to the league.
Inter Miami said in a statement: “An announcement was made on Tuesday that Inter Miami FC will play in the Riyadh Season Cup. This is not true.”
He added, “The report includes statements made by team owner Georg Maass. Maass has not made any comments, either publicly or privately, regarding the preparation round for the new season.”
Inter Miami have been invited to meet Saudi teams Al-Nasr and Al-Hilal, according to the organizers of the traditional Riyadh Season Cup. The idea was to arrange a head-to-head match between Messi and Ronaldo, if not the last of the clashes between the two giants in the twenty-first century.
Organizers explained that the match would be the talk of the world, with Messi and Ronaldo taking part under the banner of “The Last Dance”, as well as stars from runners-up Al Hilal. The Club World Cup is led by Serbian Aleksandar Mitrovic and Asia’s best player, Salem Al-Dosari.
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi and five-time winner Ronaldo have met 37 times in their careers, including 30 times in Spain’s El Clasico. Argentina defended the colors of Barcelona and Portugal those of Real Madrid.
According to two football statistics, Messi has won 17 times and Ronaldo 11 times, with nine draws.
The last clash between the two stars was on January 19, 2023, during a friendly match in Riyadh where Messi-led French club Paris Saint-Germain won against an elite group of top players playing in Saudi Arabia. Its leader Ronaldo took the lead 5-4.
Councilor Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Public Entertainment Authority, lauded Inter Miami’s participation, noting that the tournament will witness the global following of international names owned by the three clubs.
He emphasized that the competition comes as an extension of the major global events that the Riyadh season offers to its audience and the world.
Businessman Jorge Mas, one of the owners of Inter Miami, welcomed his team’s participation in the Riyadh season and praised the huge growth of soccer in the kingdom, in addition to the major changes in the entertainment industry.
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