Paris Saint-Germain and the Riyadh All-Stars put on a magnificent show on Thursday as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos and Kylian Mbappé all found the back of the net in PSG's 5-4 victory. The stars showed out and one Ronaldo nutmeg vs PSG received enormous applause from the fans inside King Fahad International Stadium.
The lasting feeling from Thursday's 5-4 friendly between PSG and a Riyadh All-Star XI in Saudi Arabia is that Cristiano Ronaldo, on the verge of his 38th birthday, and Lionel Messi, 35, could play forever. Neymar, 30, looks like he's got a year or two left in him.
It was Ronaldo who scored Riyadh's first two goals while Messi opened the scoring for PSG in the third-minute. Both provided moments of dazzling skill, much to the delight of the businessman who paid $2.66 million for a single ticket.
Messi opens the scoring off Neymar's pass
A new chapter in the celebrated rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will unfurl on Thursday when they meet in an exhibition match as the Portugal forward gears up for his first game in Saudi Arabia since joining Al Nassr.
After a glittering career in Europe that saw him win four Champions League titles with Real Madrid and two Scudettos at Juventus, Ronaldo signed for Al Nassr, describing it as the "right moment" to share his experience in Asia.
I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast, but if you've been following The18 for the past year then you've already seen all 11 FIFA Puskas Award nominees. We have exquisite taste like that.
But in case you can't remember the strikes — arriving as early as Apr. 2 and as late as Kylian Mbappé's side-volley against Argentina in the World Cup final on Dec. 18 — here's a trip down memory lane with videos that you can watch right here, right now. I've also included a link to what The18 said at the time.
Cristiano Ronaldo was not included in Al Nassr's squad for Friday's Saudi Professional League match against Al Tai, amid media reports that the Portugal forward was going to make his debut despite having a two-match suspension.
The 37-year-old will miss his first two domestic games for the Saudi Arabian club after being suspended by England's Football Association (FA) for knocking a phone out of a fan's hand after Manchester United's defeat at Everton in April.
RIYADH - Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo said his "work is done" in Europe, adding that he is relishing new challenges both on and off the pitch after being unveiled as a player of Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on Tuesday.
Ronaldo, who was a free agent following his acrimonious split with Manchester United in November, joined Al Nassr last week on a two-and-a-half-year deal estimated by media to be worth more than $210.94 million.
He was greeted by a sea of yellow and blue at Al Nassr's home ground Mrsool Park, where thousands of fans turned up to witness his unveiling.
When Cristiano Ronaldo signed a two and a half year deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr on Friday, the Portuguese legend put pen to paper on a contract worth $75 million annually, meaning he'll almost certainly still be the world's highest paid footballer when he turns 40 on Feb. 5, 2025.
Cristiano Ronaldo's job search is over.
Saudi club Al-Nassr announced they signed the Portuguese on a two-year contract. Reports say the deal is worth $75 million per season and will run until the summer of 2025.
TOKYO - Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu will remain in charge of the Asian team for another World Cup cycle, the country's football association announced on Thursday, with the aim of breaking new ground after a number of near misses.
That Moriyasu would continue in the role came as little surprise after he led Japan to victories over former World Cup winners Germany and Spain during the finals in Qatar en route to topping what was considered the most difficult group at the tournament.
What we call "shithousery celebrations" might start becoming a trend in the world of soccer, and you can probably thank Emiliano Martínez for that.
In a Saudi Arabian King Cup of Champions round of 16 clash between Al-Ittihad and Al-Shabab, a penalty kick miss that defined the winner of the game gave us perhaps the most brutal celebration to an opposing player we’ve seen this year.
This time around, it was directed to an Argentine by a Brazilian.