Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could very well face each other for the last time when PSG play the combined team of Al-Nasr and Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
The match will be Ronaldo’s debut in the country after Manchester United’s move to the Middle East at the end of 2022.
Having previously spent his entire career in Europe, the Portuguese star will now play club football in Asia with Al Nasr.
This move to Asia means there may be few future battles against Messi, which makes this clash all the more exciting.
MORE: Best bets and predictions for PSG vs Al Nasr/Al Hilal
Will Messi play against Al Nasr?
In what could be his last chance against Ronaldo, Messi is expected to play a role in a friendly against the All-Star team Al-Nasr/Al-Hilal.
Messi travelled with the PSG team around the Middle East and was pictured in training in Qatar the day before the game.
In fact, PSG brought an almost full squad with them to this match, as well as Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
In particular, Messi played the full 90 minutes in PSG’s last match in which they beat Rennes 1-0 in Ligue 1.
Messi’s stats at PSG this season
Late last year, Messi finally won the World Cup with Argentina, and the 2022/23 season with PSG was no less impressive.
After a relatively quiet 2021/22 debut season in Paris, the Argentine has found additional equipment in this campaign.
Messi has made 21 appearances for PSG this season, scoring 13 goals and providing 14 assists.
The 35-year-old has only missed six games due to minor injuries and taking a break after winning the World Cup.
MORE: Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo Was Never A Controversy – World Cup Proves Who’s The GOAT
The story of Messi and Ronaldo.
Two of the best players in the history of football, Messi and Ronaldo, are no strangers to head-to-head competition on the pitch.
The duo often played each other in Spain, playing for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.
At the club level, they have met 34 times: Messi won 15 of those matches, Ronaldo 10, with nine draws. In these matches, Messi scored 21 goals, while Ronaldo scored just behind him with 20 goals.
Playing for their respective countries, Messi and Ronaldo only competed against each other twice, with Argentina and Portugal winning each game. Both players scored in their first international meeting in 2011, with Messi scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute in Argentina’s 2–1 win.
PSG – Al-Nasr/Al-Hilal live broadcast, TV channel
In addition to broadcasting the match in multiple territories, beIN Sports will broadcast the match worldwide on:
| date of | Time | TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Fri, January 20 | 04:00 EST | — | PSG YouTube, Twitch, Facebook Watch |
| Canada | Thu 19 January | 12:00 pm ET | beIN Sports Canada | fuboTV Canada, beIN Connect, PSG YouTube, Twitch, Facebook Watch |
| Hong Kong | Fri, January 20 | 01:00 hong kong time being | beIN Sports Hong Kong | beIN Connect, NOW, PSG YouTube, facebook watch, twitch |
| India | Thu 19 January | 10:30 pm EDT | — | PSG YouTube, Twitch, Facebook Watch |
| Malaysia | Fri, January 20 | 01:00 UTC | beIN Sports Malaysia | beIN Connect, Sooka, PSG YouTube, facebook watch, twitch |
| New Zealand | Fri, January 20 | 06:00 NCDT | Sky Sport 7 beIN Sports | beIN Connect, PSG YouTube, Twitch, Facebook watch |
| Singapore | Fri, January 20 | 01:00 GMT | beIN Sports Singapore | beIN Connect, StarHub TV+, PSG YouTube, Facebook Watch, switch united |
| United Kingdom | Thu 19 January | 17:00 GMT | — | PSG YouTube, Twitch, Facebook Watch |
| United States of America | Thu 19 January | 12:00 pm ET | beIN Sports | fuboTV, beIN Connect, PSG YouTube, Twitch, Facebook watch |
What’s next for Messi and PSG?
Messi’s participation in the upcoming friendly against PSG in Saudi Arabia could very well be limited by the fact that the club is in the middle of a season they need to finish well.
Recent defeats in Ligue 1 have left them just three points off first place, with runners-up Lens having lost just one league game this season.
MORE: All upcoming matches and past results of PSG in the 2022/23 season.
After a trip to the Middle East, PSG will return to action on Monday 23 January against Pays de Cassel in the Coupe de France – Messi has yet to win one title.
In less than a month, the Parisians will also resume their UEFA Champions League campaign with a round-of-16 match against German side Bayern Munich.
European success continues to elude PSG and the club is hopeful that Messi can lead them to victory and end an outstanding individual season for the Argentine.