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As captain of the Riyadh ST XI for an exhibition game against Lionel Messi’s Paris St. Germain, Cristiano Ronaldo will play in Saudi Arabia for the first time since joining Al Nassr, officials announced on Monday.
The 37-year-old Portuguese will captain the team against Messi’s PSG that includes players from the Saudi clubs Al Hilal and Al Nassr in the most recent installment of the storied international soccer rivalry.
Salem Al-Dawsari, a Saudi international, and Saud Abdulhamid are also on the roster. Al-Dawsari scored in the shocking World Cup group-stage victory over Argentina.
On Thursday in Riyadh, the eagerly awaited showdown that reportedly had more than 2 million online ticket requests will take place.
In an auction that is scheduled to end on Tuesday, the price for a VIP “Beyond Imagination” ticket to the game has already surpassed 10 million riyals ($2.66 million).
Ronaldo missed the opening two domestic matches for Al Nassr after receiving a one-match ban from the English Football Association for kicking a fan’s phone in April.
The Portuguese forward joined the Arab team earlier this month under a contract that is expected to be worth more than 200 million euros ($216.34 million) through 2025, according to the media.
Ronaldo will face Al Ettifaq on Sunday in his first competitive Saudi Pro League match for Al Nassr.
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