Saudí businessman bids $2.66 million for a ticket to see Cristiano vs Messi

Saudi Arabian businessman is leading the bid to seeing the latest chapter of the Ronaldo-Messi rivalry with an offer of 10 million riyals ($2.66 million) for a ticket to the Al Nassr vs PSG match.

The entertainment arm of the Saudi government said on Twitter that Mushref Al-Ghamdi, general manager of real estate group AqarOne, was the leader so far in an auction that ended on January 17.

The ticket buyer has the right to attend the award ceremony after the game, enter the dressing rooms, and meet the two men who have fought to be the greatest in the world for years.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut in Saudi Arabia against Paris Saint-Germain of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Neymar generated more than 2 million ticket requests online; sources told ESPN.

Ronaldo, former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Riyadh’s Al Nassr FC worth $75 million a year on December 30, but the English Federation imposed a two-match ban in November for grabbing a phone from a fan’s hand during a Premier League match at Everton last season delaying the 37-year-old’s debut for his new team.

Ronaldo’s ban will be completed when he misses Al Nassr’s Saudi professional league game against Al Shabab on Saturday, making him eligible to make his club debut in the home game against Al-Ettifaq at Mrsool Park on January 22.

Cristiano will be freed from suspension to play a combined team of Al Nassr and Saudi champions Al Hilal against PSG on January 19.

The exhibition match against PSG will take place at the 68,000-capacity King Fahd Stadium in the Saudi capital Riyadh, and sources said tickets sold out “within minutes” after going on sale earlier this week.

At one point, more than 2 million fans were lining up online to buy tickets to see Ronaldo’s first appearance, but also his first game against Messi since Ronaldo scored twice in a 3-0 Champions League with Juventus win over Barcelona at the Camp Nou in December 2020.

Ronaldo and Messi have met 36 times per club and country, with Messi leading the way with 16 wins to Ronaldo’s 11. Messi has scored 22 goals in those games, compared to Ronaldo’s 21. However, with next week’s game designated as an exhibition game rather than a competitive match, goals scored by the two players will not count toward their overall career numbers.