In a rapid turn of events, Inter Miami on Wednesday deleted a statement that was issued on Tuesday evening, where they denied speculations that the MLS club would compete in the Riyadh Season Cup.
Earlier on Tuesday, it was reported that Lionel Messi and co. would face Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr in a blockbuster friendly game in Saudi Arabia in February. It was termed as ‘The Last Dance’ for both superstars.
But soon, Inter Miami quashed those rumors with the statement which has now been deleted. This has raised more speculations for the potential Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo match-up.
Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo is on!
The game if it goes ahead is being touted as ‘The Last Dance’ for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. It is expected to be the final meeting between two of the sport’s all-time greats.
The confusion began when Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment in Saudi Arabia and owner of Almeria, announced the match on social media. Inter Miami quickly responded with a statement that is now deleted which stated that they had no knowledge of the match and had not agreed to participate.
However, Inter Miami now deleted statement said that they were not consulted about the match and have not confirmed their participation.
Alalshikh’s announcement has since been removed from the Saudi organizers’ website, and the match’s status remains uncertain. If the match does go ahead, it would be a highly anticipated event, potentially the last time that Messi and Ronaldo, two of the greatest footballers of all time, face off on the pitch.
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Alalshikh had tweeted out an advertisement for the game featuring Messi and Ronaldo in front. The caption read, ‘It’s the last dance of football greatness! Ronaldo vs Messi clash on the pitch. Watch Inter Miami FC compete against Al-Nassr FC in the Riyadh Season Cup.’
However, the Herons later contradicted the announcement from the proposed hosts.
Inter Miami has long been talked about playing some expensive abroad friendlies ahead of the MLS season next year. A post-season tour of China was cancelled earlier this month. They instead hosted New York City FC at their DRV PNK Stadium to celebrate Messi’s ninth Ballon d’Or.
The Mas brothers, who co-own the club with Beckham, have even mentioned holding a friendly against Barcelona at the Nou Camp to allow Messi to say goodbye to the fans on the pitch. They will also play a friendly against Messi’s childhood team in Argentina, Newell’s Old Boys.
