Messi and Cristiano in Riyadh: an embrace for the 1,613 goals
Cristiano and Messi faced each other again in the match between Riyadh All-Stars and PSG in Saudi Arabia. An historic moment.
Cristiano and Messi have experienced what, a priori, may well be the last dance between them. After almost two decades of direct duels - both individually and collectively between their respective teams, Cristiano’s move to Al Nassr means it will be very difficult for us to see them share the same pitch ever again. Both spent 60 minutes out on the pitch at King Fahd Stadium this evening before retiring to their respective dug-outs to a standing ovation. Cristiano and Messi left glimpses of their heyday, scoring a brace and a goal respectively, as well as forcing a penalty each in PSG’s 4-5 victory over the Riyadh All-Star in Saudi Arabia.
The legacy left behind by the two best players of recent years, and two of the all-time greats of the game may never be equalled - a combined 1,613 goals between them, 12 Ballons d’Or, nine Champions League titles, 18 league titles... The major achievements in a seemingly endless list. Their combined list of honours is astonishing - a total of 75 titles between them.
Since they met for the first time in a 0-0 draw between Barcelona and Manchester United in the 2007-08 season, Ronaldo and Messi have faced each other a further 36 times, three of them in friendlies such as tonight’s in Riyadh. Messi wins in terms of the overall balance - a total of 17 victories to Cristiano’s 11. The other nine occasions ended in a draw.
As far as goals go, today’s game in Saudi Arabia means they are now level. Cristiano scored twice in Riyadh while Messi opened the scoring. That leaves the scoreboard with 22 goals each, including two goals from Messi in non-official matches, and three from Ronaldo.
Both players marked an era at their respective clubs in LaLiga - Real Madrid and Barcelona and left us memories of some of the best Clásicos of all-time. Among the 30 games between Los Blancos and the Blaugranas that they both played in during the nine years that they coincided in LaLiga, some big clashes stand out. Like the 3-4 win at the Bernabéu on 23 March 2014, in which Messi scored a hat-trick to turn around a match that had led to a goal by Cristiano, or the 2-2 draw at Camp Nou in October 2012 which they ended up with a brace each.