Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — International soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will lead a Saudi Riyadh Season Stars team in an exhibition match against French champions Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday.

Turki Al-Sheikh, head of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), posted a video on Twitter, handing Ronaldo the captain badge in Riyadh.

The Riyadh Season Cup will take place on Jan. 19 at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. The Riyadh Season Stars team, a combined 11 of Riyadh based clubs Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal, are set to play an exhibition game against PSG.

The match raises the intriguing prospect of new Al-Nassr signing Cristiano Ronaldo facing his long-time rival and PSG star Lionel Messi, fresh from winning the World Cup with Argentina last month.

Alongside Messi, in Paris Saint-Germain’s squad will be Brazil’s Neymar and France World Cup final hat-trick hero Kylian Mbappe, while the select team includes the likes of Matheus Pereira and Odion Ighalo of Al-Hilal, and Alvaro Gonzalez and Talisca of Al-Nassr.

Argentinian coach Marcelo Gallardo is set to lead a Saudi Riyadh Season select team in the match.

The eagerly anticipated match, slated to be held in Riyadh, has generated enormous interest as all tickets were sold out within hours two weeks ahead of the match.