Inter Miami has denied that it agreed to participate in the Riyadh Season Cup friendly tournament in February 2024 against Al Nassr, which could have seen Lionel Messi face off with his great rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, one last time.
Event organizers in Saudi Arabia had announced “The Last Dance” event via social media at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh with no exact dates yet set. The post was later deleted.
Miami, though, said later on Tuesday that no agreement had been reached.
“Earlier on Wednesday, an announcement was issued stating that Inter Miami CF is scheduled to play in the Riyadh Season Cup. This is inaccurate,” the Inter Miami CF Communications Department said in a statement. “The release included statements attributed to team owner, Jorge Mas. Mas has made no comments, publicly or privately, in relation to the preseason tour.
“Since day one, Inter Miami CF has set out to be a global brand. To this end, we have been in conversations to determine our 2024 preseason schedule. We look forward to showcasing our players on Inter Miami CF’s first international tour which will be announced in the coming weeks.”
The earlier announcement said the three-team tournament would be completed by Neymar’s Al Hilal, although the Brazil international was unlikely to feature after tearing an ACL last month.
Saudi Arabia has made a major push to be a big player in world football by signing some of the game’s biggest players. But it couldn’t lure Messi to the oil-rich kingdom when he left Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season, with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner opting to move to MLS instead.
The last time the two La Liga rivals played against each other was at this tournament on Jan. 19, 2023, in Riyadh.
Messi took part in last season’s Riyadh Season Cup with PSG and also came up against Ronaldo after the Portugal great’s surprise move to Al Nassr. PSG won the match 5-4.
Messi and Ronaldo are widely considered to be two of the greatest players of all time and competed against each other for football’s biggest prizes during their prime years at Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively. — ESPN
