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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — If this is to be the last time Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi meet on the same pitch, at least they put on a show.
Thursday night was GOATs in the Gulf, an exhibition match between a Riyadh Season Team featuring Ronaldo, newly signed up to the Saudi Pro League, and Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain. Even though it wasn’t quite Real Madrid against Barcelona or Portugal vs. Argentina, the two old rivals did what they’ve done so many times before. They scored goals. In the end, Messi got one and Ronaldo two in a game that ended 5-4 to PSG, with both players substituted off after an hour.
– Report: Messi, Ronaldo score as PSG win friendly
For Messi, it was a continuation of the form he showed in leading Argentina to success at the World Cup just a month ago. For Ronaldo, whose last game ended in tears as Portugal were knocked out by Morocco in the quarterfinals, it was a reminder that despite a messy split from Manchester United and a difficult time in Qatar, he still knows how to score goals. He should get plenty in Saudi Arabia judging by some of the defending on show, and Al Nassr, his new club, will be expecting it after shelling out $200 million a year for his services.
Ronaldo, named man of the match to nobody’s surprise, was the star of the show, and, sitting on the bench for the final 30 minutes, he blew kisses to the crowd when he was shown on the stadium’s big screens. Laughing and joking with Sergio Ramos before the game and wearing a broad smile as he walked out ahead of kick-off underneath a wave of silver confetti, he didn’t look like a man unhappy with the recent twist in his career.
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