Lionel Messi (L) and Cristiano Ronaldo shake hands before an El Clasico match between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Photo by Reuters
Football fans worldwide will have a rare and likely final opportunity to see Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi play side-by-side after both football icons agreed to participate in Carlos Tevez’s farewell match in December.
In an interview with the Argentine press on Sept. 7, Tevez confirmed that the two football icons have agreed to play on the same team during his career farewell match at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, Goal reported.
The 42-year-old star retired in June 2022 but waited for the right moment to invite his close friends to participate in an official farewell match.
“I have always dreamed of seeing Cristiano and Leo playing in one team. They are the greatest players of all time,” Tevez said in the interview. “I got in touch with them, especially Cristiano. I told him: Cristiano, I want you and Messi in the same team in my farewell match. So that the whole world can witness this magic once and for all. He said he would be there. Convincing Leo was not difficult either. They both agreed, I am very excited. This match will be very moving.”
The prospect of Ronaldo and Messi playing on the same team has generated global traction, with Argentine network TyC Sports calling it a truly spectacular moment for the sport.
Messi recently announced his official retirement from international football with the Argentina national team, following the passing of his father who also played an important role as his agent.
Matches across all divisions of the Argentine leagues paused at the 10-minute mark on Sept. 7 to honor the 39-year-old for his contributions over the past 21 years.
Ronaldo, 41, continues to keep his options open and has not announced his retirement from the Portugal national team while playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Both legends are currently racing toward the historic milestone of 1,000 career goals.
The gap between the two rivals currently stands at 51 goals, with Messi needing 73 more to reach the milestone while Ronaldo requires just 22 more to complete the feat.