On January 19 French champions PSG will to take on a collection of all-star players from the Saudi Pro League's two major Riyadh-based clubs as part of a months-long festival in Saudi Arabia's capital city.
The match is set to pit longtime rivals Lionel Messi against his old nemesis Cristiano Ronaldo in what could potentially be their last meeting on the field.
Messi, who plays for PSG, is expected to take part in the match. Ronaldo, who just recently signed for Saudi club Al Nassr, has yet to debut for his club but will captain the All-Star squad to play in this friendly match.
The Sporting News brings you an overview of what exactly this match is and how it came to be.
MORE: When is PSG vs. Riyadh All-Stars? Date, time, how to watch exhibition match
What is Riyadh Season?
Riyadh Season is a state-sponsored entertainment and sports festival put on by the Saudi government which takes place across the nation's capital at some point during the winter, usually between October and March.
Started in 2019, the inaugural Riyadh Season went from October through January with the nation pulling in 10 million combined visitors to the event. It featured 12 different "zones" across Riyadh that held various events, including car shows, restaurant pop-ups, fairgrounds, and plenty of other shows, including sporting events such as WWE.
The 2020/21 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Riyadh Season festival returned in late 2021, lasting the full season and featuring a larger area and new events such as a video game festival and a Pitbull concert.
The 2021/22 event was also meant to feature the first PSG visit as the French side was to come and play the Al Hilal / Al Nassr All-Stars, in what would have been the first of an annual friendly match. However, it was eventually postponed due to COVID-19 related restrictions.
MORE: Who are Al Nassr? Get to know Cristiano Ronaldo's new club
What is the Riyadh Season Cup?
As mentioned earlier, the Riyadh Season Cup is an annual match between PSG and the Riyadh All-Stars that's played during the heart of the Riyadh Season festival.
The first of the matches was originally scheduled to take place in January 2022, but it was postponed by a year and now happens to feature a Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo showdown that will capture the imagination of football fans around the globe.
During the typical European season some leagues around the continent take a brief break after the holidays before resuming play and this Riyadh Season Cup is designed to fall in that window.
However, given the men's World Cup that took place in December, European leagues are forced to slam fixtures together to complete their schedules, meaning there was little time for the friendly. However, PSG were contractually obligated to complete the friendly, reportedly earning more than €10 million according to L'Equipe, and therefore had to fit it into their already tight schedule.
MORE: Who owns Al Nassr? The group paying Cristiano Ronaldo's monster salary
PSG, Riyadh All-Star squads
The PSG team is missing three players who didn't make the trip due to injury: Nordi Mukiele (hamstring), Marco Verratti (quad), and goalkeeper Lucas Lavallee (hamstring). Defenders Presnel Kimpembe (Achilles) and Nuno Mendes (muscle) have been out for several weeks with injuries.
Meanwhile, the Riyadh All-Star squad will be managed by former River Plate boss Marcelo Gallardo and will feature 22 players combined from the two teams leading the Saudi Pro League standings: Al Nassr and Al Hilal. The side will be captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, who was recently signed by Al Nassr.
PSG Riyadh Season Cup squad
| Position | No. | Player |
|---|---|---|
| GK | 99 | Gianluigi Donnarumma |
| GK | 1 | Keylor Navas |
| DF | 2 | Achraf Hakimi |
| DF | 4 | Sergio Ramos |
| DF | 5 | Marquinhos |
| DF | 14 | Juan Bernat |
| DF/MF | 15 | Danilo Pereira |
| DF | 31 | El Chadaille Bitshiabu |
| MF | 8 | Fabian Ruiz |
| MF | 17 | Vitinha |
| MF | 18 | Renato Sanches |
| MF | 28 | Carlos Soler |
| MF | 33 | Warren Zaire-Emery |
| MF | 35 | Ismael Gharbi |
| FW | 7 | Kylian Mbappe |
| FW | 10 | Neymar |
| FW | 30 | Lionel Messi |
| FW | 44 | Hugo Ekitike |
| FW | 37 | Ilyes Housni |
MORE: PSG's upcoming matches and past results from the 2022/23 season
Riyadh All-Star XI squad
There are 11 players each from Al Nassr and Al Hilal on the squad, including 14 of the 22 players from Saudi Arabia with several having represented their nation at the FIFA World Cup.
| Position | No. | Player | Club | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Amin Bukhari | Al Nassr | S. Arabia | |
| GK | Mohammed Al-Owais | Al Hilal | S. Arabia | |
| DF | Saud Abdulhamid | Al Hilal | S. Arabia | |
| DF | Ali Al-Bulaihi | Al Hilal | S. Arabia | |
| DF | Jang Hyun-soo | Al Hilal | S. Korea | |
| DF | Khalifah Al-Dawsari | Al Hilal | S. Arabia | |
| DF | Ali Lajami | Al Nassr | S. Arabia | |
| DF | Abdulelah Al-Amri | Al Nassr | S. Arabia | |
| DF | Abdullah Madu | Al Nassr | S. Arabia | |
| DF | Sultan Al-Ghannam | Al Nassr | S. Arabia | |
| MF | Abdullah Otayf | Al Hilal | S. Arabia | |
| MF | Mohammed Kanno | Al Hilal | S. Arabia | |
| MF | Andre Carrillo | Al Hilal | Peru | |
| MF | Matheus Pereira | Al Hilal | Brazil | |
| MF | Luis Gustavo | Al Nassr | Brazil | |
| MF | Abdullah Al-Khaibari | Al Nassr | S. Arabia | |
| MF | Sami Al-Naji | Al Nassr | S. Arabia | |
| MF | Talisca | Al Nassr | Brazil | |
| MF | Pity Martinez | Al Nassr | Argentina | |
| MF | Salem Al-Dawsari | Al Hilal | S. Arabia | |
| FW | Cristiano Ronaldo | Al Nassr | Portugal | |
| FW | Moussa Marega | Al Hilal | Mali |
قائمة فريق موسم الرياض أمام باريس سان حرمان.#كأس_موسم_الرياض
— أخبار السعودية (@SaudiNews50) January 16, 2023
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