On January 19, Cristiano Ronaldo will take the field as part of a team made up of players from Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal to face Paris Saint-Germain. The game will also pit Ronaldo against his longstanding rival Lionel Messi.
Paris Saint-Germain will be traveling to Riyadh to participate in an exhibition match. Ronaldo will be playing on a team made up of players from Al-Nassr, the current leaders of the Saudi league, and players from last year’s league champion Al-Hilal. When asked about Ronaldo’s debut in Saudi Arabia, Al-Nassr’s coach Rudi Garcia confirmed that he will not be playing with the Al-Nassr jersey.
“Ronaldo’s debut in Saudi Arabian football will be a blend of Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr, as he has been serving a two-match suspension since joining Al-Nassr, which was given to him for slapping a phone out of a 14-year-old’s hands last April. He was unable to play in his new team’s win against Al-Ta’ee 2-0 and will also be absent for the match against Al-Shabab on Saturday. His first match is scheduled for January 19 against PSG.”