Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi set to renew rivalry amid Inter Miami confusion

Former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo is set to go toe-to-toe with Lionel Messi at club level once again in February.

Al Nassr and Inter Miami are poised to play a friendly fixture in February as part of the Riyadh Season Cup, which is set to also feature fellow Saudi team Al Hilal. The contest is already being billed as 'The Last Dance', although no date has been confirmed.

Miami denied the fixture had been arranged in a statement on Tuesday night before deleting the story from their website. Ronaldo, who left United for a second time almost a year ago, joined Al Nassr last December. His move to Saudi Arabia was a ground-breaking moment for the Gulf nation, with several household names and big-name stars following suit since.

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Messi, meanwhile, made the switch to US outfit Inter Miami in June, following a two-year stint at Paris Saint-Germain. The duo, of course, spent the best part of a decade rivalling each other in Spain, with Messi starring for Barcelona and Ronaldo lighting up the Bernabeu in the colours of Real Madrid.

Ronaldo joined Madrid from United in 2009 and enjoyed nine highly successful years in the Spanish capital. The Portuguese ace then spent three years at Juventus before returning to Old Trafford in August 2021.

He made 54 appearances during his second spell in M16, plundering 27 goals. He left United after publicly criticising both the club and manager Erik ten Hag in an interview with Piers Morgan in November last year.