31 January 2024 , 10:10
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Lionel Messi's Inter Miami are currently out in Saudi Arabia for the Riyadh Season Cup, with the Argentine superstar set to renew his rivalry against Cristiano Ronaldo for perhaps the last time.
Inter Miami are set to face Ronaldo's Al-Nassr on Thursday, but ahead of that match they took on Al-Hilal on Monday. And while Messi did get on the scoresheet from the penalty spot, Al-Hilal ultimately won the match 4-3 thanks to goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Michael and Malcom.
Luis Suarez and David Ruiz also got on the scoresheet for Inter Miami, but it was not enough to earn the MLS side the win. And Al-Hilal could not resist taking a dig at Messi on social media, posting a picture of him on the floor with Ruben Neves running past him.
"It's okay Leo .. you're not the first one #RollsRuben," read the caption. They then took another cheeky dig on Instagram when posting the full-time result, claiming: "Well, we took it easy".
Michael also performed Ronaldo's trademark 'Siu' celebration when he scored Al-Hilal's third goal. However, the Brazilian was full of praise for Messi after the match, calling him the "best player in the world".
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"I thank all those involved in the Riyadh Season Cup, which allowed us to face the best player in the world, Lionel Messi," Michael said. "I am not worth anything in front of Messi, so I should not be compared to him. I am a big admirer of Messi and I love him very much."
Messi was heavily linked with a move to Al-Hilal when he left Paris Saint-Germain last year, but he ultimately decided to join Inter Miami instead. After the move was announced, Ronaldo claimed that the Saudi Pro League is "much better" than the MLS.
Messi is now set to take on Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr on Thursday (FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)"The Saudi league is much better than the United States," he said. "My decision to go to Saudi was 100 per cent crucial for clubs to bring in new top players. It's a fact. It was going to take a year, but it was six months.
"I was wrong for six months. But I knew this was going to happen because in the Italian league, when I went there, it was also dead and then rejuvenated. Where Cristiano goes, it generates greater interest and I knew it was going to be like that.
"I'm sure that next season more stars will go there [to Saudi Arabia]." Ronaldo's claims will now be put to the test when his side take Messi's on Thursday in what will be the 36th time they have faced each other in their legendary careers.