AMERICAN club Inter Miami have denied reports that a final showdown between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in a friendly match has been arranged.
Messi and Ronaldo have been the world’s greatest footballers over the last 15 years and there were claims yesterday that a match had been arranged between their clubs for a final confrontation.
Billed as ‘The Last Dance’, it was reported that Messi’s Inter Miami would face Ronaldo’s Saudi Arabia-based Al Nassr in a three-team tournament, the Riyadh Season Cup, which was also said to include Neymar’s Al Hilal.
The reports claimed that the match would be held in February next year which could see Ronaldo and Messi face each other for potentially the last time in their glittering careers.
However, Inter Miami, whom Messi joined in July, have denied the agreement, stating that nothing has been confirmed yet.
“Earlier today, an announcement was issued stating that Inter Miami CF is scheduled to play in the Riyadh Season Cup. This is inaccurate,” the Major League Soccer franchise said in an official statement overnight.
“The release included statements attributed to team owner Jorge Mas. Mas has made no comments, publicly or privately, in relation to the pre-season tour.
“Since day one, Inter Miami CF has set out to be a global brand. To this end, we have been in conversations to determine our 2024 preseason schedule.
“We look forward to showcasing our players on Inter Miami CF’s first international tour which will be announced in the coming weeks.”
Messi, 36, and 38-year-old Ronaldo faced each other regularly in their years at Spain’s biggest clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid, and both are their clubs’ all-time top scorers.
They both left Spain for other leagues in Europe (Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus and then Manchester United, while Messi left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain), and left the continent all together in the past one year.
Ronaldo signed for Al Nassr in December after his contract at Manchester United was cancelled after a dispute with the club, while Messi moved to the United States to sign for David Beckham’s Inter Miami after his contract expired at PSG.
Between them, Messi and Ronaldo have won 13 Ballon d’Or awards, 79 official trophies and scored 1,664 goals for club and country.
