Amid the backdrop of sportswashing, Inter Miami will visit Saudi Arabia in 2024, renewing the rivalry between soccer superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Inter Miami confirmed on Monday that it will participate in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season Cup as part of an international tour showcasing the MLS team built around Messi. There, Inter Miami will play games against Al-Hilal SFC and Ronaldo’s Al Nassr FC.
Inter Miami will take on Al-Hilal on Jan. 29, then take on Al Nassr on Feb. 1 in a match that should garner international attention focused on the clash between world’s two best players from the last 15 years. Both games are scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. ET (9 p.m. local time).
Assuming that both players are available, the Al Nassr-Inter Miami match will mark the 36th time Ronaldo and Messi have faced off. Messi’s teams have won 16 of the matchups, and Ronaldo’s teams have won 10. The other nine matches finished in a draw.
Messi’s tallied 21 goals and 12 assists in the matchups while Ronaldo’s posted 20 goals and one assist. Messi (8) and Ronaldo (5) have combined win the Ballon d’Or honoring soccer’s best player 13 times. Their most recent matchup was a friendly in Saudi Arabia in January.
Messi reportedly declined overtures from Saudi Arabia that included a $400 million contract offer as a free agent in the spring. He instead signed with Inter Miami in June a shocking decision that brought the world’s most prominent player to MLS over Saudi Arabia and La Liga’s Barcelona.
Five months earlier in December, Ronaldo signed a two-year deal to join Al Nassr after parting with the Premier League’s Manchester United. Ronaldo joined the club amid mounting criticism of broad sportswashing efforts to legitimize a Saudi regime with a considerable track record of human rights abuses.
Christine Lake is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. With an extensive background in sports journalism, he covers everything from major league championships to grassroots sports events. When she’s not on the field or at the stadium, you’ll find Christine coaching youth sports teams.
