A Saudi Arabian businessman purchased the “world’s most expensive ticket” for what could be the final on-pitch meeting.
The pair of footballing titans, who have dominated the game for the best part of 15 years and claimed 12 Ballon d’Ors between them, are slated to meet for one last dance on Thursday.
Ronaldo has left Europe for Saudi Arabia after signing an eye-watering £175 million per season deal with Al Nassr.
A two-match worldwide ban and a need to meet the overseas player quota has delayed his debut, but Ronaldo’s first game over in the Middle East will be an exhibition contest against Paris Saint-Germain.
He will captain a ‘Riyadh XI’ made up of Al Nassr and Al Hilal against the Ligue One Champions at the King Fahd International Stadium.
It’s sure to be a sell-out at the 68,000 capacity stadium, with a reported two million online ticket sales coming in for the showpiece.
However, the Khaleej Times reports that a special ‘Beyond Imagination’ ticket went to auction
The golden pass includes watching the game sat next Turki Al Sheikh, Chairman of General Entertainment Authority, and the man who announced Ronaldo would be the skipper for the historic clash.
They also receive access to the winner’s ceremony and partake in the group photo at the end of the game, as well as the chance to meet the two legendary players by visiting both dressing rooms.
A gala lunch is also involved but of course given what’s in store, it is not going to be a cheap deal.
Mushref Al-Ghamdi, the general manager of real estate group AqarOne, emerged victorious after bidding 10 million riyals (£2.18 million).
“Congratulations, you deserve it, and may God reward you with good,” Sheikh said as he announced Al-Ghamdi as the winner.
The auction closed on Tuesday at 8:30pm and the proceeds will go the national charity campaign referred to as ‘Ehsan’.
Ronaldo and Messi, now 37 and 35 respectively, have not lined up against one another since a 3-0 win for Juventus against Barcelona at an empty Nou Camp in 2020.
They did, however, link up for a viral photoshoot with Louis Vuitton prior to the World Cup.
A stunning £90 million all-star game involving the pair at Wembley Stadium was mooted in 2017 but ultimately never materialised.
Source: sportbible
