Ronaldo v Messi: the last dance in Saudi Arabia or a fresh start?

The rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominated football for more than a decade and the world will on Thursday get the chance to see another contest between the Portuguese and Argentine, which may not be the last time they face each other.

After 20 years in Europe's top leagues, Ronaldo has taken his talents to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr after his contract with Manchester United was terminated and ironically his first match in the Middle East will be against his age-old rival.

    Messi's Paris St Germain take on a combined Al Hilal-Al Nassr team in an exhibition match, giving Ronaldo and Messi a chance to rekindle their old 'El Clasico' rivalry when they played for Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.

With nothing for Messi left to prove in Europe or on the international stage, there is also speculation that Al Hilal want to bring the 35-year-old to Saudi Arabia when his PSG contract expires at the end of the season.

Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Finance, had recently indicated that the door was open for moves by Saudi clubs to try and sign both of soccer's biggest stars.

"Well we talked about that before and the quality of life is a critical part of the 2030 vision and quality of life in Saudi has improved, sports is a significant part of that," he told CNBC when asked about Ronaldo or Messi moving to the country.

"The young population of Saudi watch sports and perform sports and anything we can do to enhance this industry will pay back and improve the quality of life not only for our people but for the working people from outside."

    Messi and Ronaldo won every Ballon d'Or award from 2008-2017 until Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric broke their hegemony and the Argentine has since