The greatest individual rivalry in soccer's storied history came to a likely conclusion Thursday in the most absurd of circumstances: a lucrative mid-season exhibition match in sportswashed Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo signed with Al-Nassr last month on the richest contract in sports history. Before he'd even played played for the Saudi club, he was named captain of an all-star team comprising exclusively players from the Saudi Pro League's two fiercest rivals. The captaincy was granted to him by one of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's henchmen, Turki al-Sheikh, who, thanks to his limitless wealth, counts dozens of soccer superstars, including Messi, as his acquaintances.
been paid some $10 million to be there. The superclub's unquenchable thirst for revenue, which allows it to comply with spending regulations, compelled it to sign this contract to play a friendly at Saudi Arabia's state-sponsored entertainment and sports festival, Riyadh Season, last January. That game was postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions, and kicked back to this year — when calendars were already slammed and players are already overworked and there really shouldn't have been room for it.
But the Saudis had paid for it, so there was. “The agreement was made last season and the club has to respect it,” said PSG head coach Christophe Galtier, who didn't sound particularly happy about it. “Is it well-timed? We had to respect the commitment that was made. I abide by that commitment.” So the players, after losing to Rennes on Sunday and slipping to within three points of second-place Lens in the Ligue 1 title race, boarded a flight to Qatar. They stayed a couple days to fulfill sponsor obligations, and
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