Cristiano named captain of Riyadh Season XI ahead of Thursday PSG friendly
The Portuguese will wear the captains armband on Thursday for the exhibition game at a sold-out King Fahd Stadium in the Saudi capital.
Cristiano Ronaldo will captain the Riyadh Season XI next Thursday (January 19) as the team featuring players from Al Hilal and Al Nassr face Paris-Saint Germain in the Saudi capital with the exhibition game forming part of the Riyadh Season cultural events. The striker was presented with the captains armband by Almeria owner and advisor at the Saudi Royal Court Turki Al-Sheikh.
الوعد ان شاءالله يوم ١٩ يناير … لقاء فوق الخيال … ومدير الفريق الكابتن خالد الشنيف ان شاءالله والتشكيلة غداً بيعلنها المدرب وخالد … اتمنى يومها ننسى الهلال والنصر ساعتين ونصير كلنا موسم الرياض… وبعد الساعتين نوقف الهدنة 😂🇸🇦❤️ pic.twitter.com/nttB07IgBb
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) January 15, 2023
Argentine Marcelo Gallardo will coach the local side which is expected to feature the likes of Matheus Pereira and Odion Ighalo of Al Hilal and Alvaro Gonzalez and Talisca of Al Nassr with the former River Plate set to oversee a game for the first time since standing down as head coach of the Buenos Aires side.
The game has captivated the imagination both locally and globally with an incredible demand for tickets for the game at the 68,000 capacity King Fahd Stadium. More than 2 million applications were received with fans anxious to see Ronaldo play against the likes of Neymar, Mbappé and World Cup winner Leo Messi.