Lionel Messi showed his love for Cristiano Ronaldo by releasing a video of the two hugging on his Instagram account.
The competitors, who have dominated individual awards in football for more than a decade, are regarded as two of the greatest players of all time. This week, they shared the pitch for what could be the final time as PSG travelled to the Middle East for a friendly against a Saudi-based squad.
The desire to be the best in the world has resulted in a healthy rivalry that has always been courteous. Messi’s sentiments for the Portuguese star were evident as they shared an embrace before kickoff, which the World Cup champion later shared on social media.
The Argentine hero would win the friendly 5-4 as the French team prevailed in a thrilling contest. After Juan Bernat was sent off, they played more than half the game with ten men, yet they still managed to win. After only three minutes, Messi scored the game’s first goal.
In addition to Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe also scored, and the Brazilian made his debut in Saudi Arabia by scoring twice. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner just joined Al-Nassr, but his debut game was with an unusual starting lineup. His first goal was scored from the penalty spot, and he added a second goal in first-half injury time.
The forward shared his opinions on social media while competing against numerous ex-teammates and fierce rivals. He stated: “So happy to be back on the pitch, and on the score sheet!! And nice to see some old friends!”
On Sunday against Ettifaq, Ronaldo is anticipated to make his debut for his new team as Al-Nassr attempts to get back to the top of the standings. While PSG is now in the middle of its season, it is not by any means dominating Ligue 1. Their most recent defeat to Rennes allowed their competitors to tighten the gap.
Christophe Galtier, the manager of PSG, expressed his evaluation of the team’s journey to Saudi Arabia: “We saw several goals in a magnificent stadium with an incredible atmosphere. We played in a crowded, energetic stadium this evening. Prior to discussing football, I wanted to mention how much I like the way they paid tribute to the many stars who were on the field.
“In terms of the contest, it’s unfortunate that it wasn’t played with 11 against 11, but the referee followed the regulations exactly. Given that we scored goals, there were some interesting things on display. There will also be areas where we need to improve, particularly set-pieces. It enables us to identify areas for improvement. It has also been a long time since we had all of the players on the field. There are significant advantages when everyone is available. There will be things to work on at the same time.”
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