By: Luis Imaña
A month after achieving the feat and becoming world champion with the Argentine national team, Lionel Messi returned to Doha on Wednesday, the city that allowed him to fulfill one of the most coveted dreams in his football career.
In December of last year, the Argentine team managed to lift the World Cup, after 36 long years, after defeating France in the final in a tough match that ended 3-3 in extra time and had to be decided in a penalty shootout.
"A month of the most beautiful thing in the world and I still can't believe it. What a beautiful madness we lived during all that time that we ended up lifting the Cup that we all desired," wrote the Argentine star on his Instagram account.
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However, the reason for his return is not related to the Argentine national team, but to the club he currently defends, Paris Saint Germain. After his arrival in Qatar, where he trained in front of more than 30,000 fans at Khalifa International Stadium, Messi and company traveled to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, to play one of the most anticipated matches this year.
The 'Pulga' will seek to add another victory to his surprising professional record when the French team faces Riyadh Season today (12:00 p.m.), a team made up of the best players from Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr.
Although Messi will have the support of Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Jr. in his lineup, the main attraction will be the duel between 'Lio' and his eternal rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, who has just become a player for Al-Nassr with a monumental contract worthy of his career.
Lionel Messi returned to Qatar after winning the World Cup against France. Photo: EFE
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All football lovers will be watching these 90 minutes, which will mark the reunion of the two stars after more than two years. The last time the 'Pulga' and 'CR7' faced each other was in December 2020, when Barcelona and Juventus clashed in the group stage of the Champions League.
In that match, which took place at Camp Nou, the Bianconeri defeated the Blaugrana 3-0 with two goals from the Portuguese forward from the penalty spot.
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So far, Messi and Ronaldo have faced each other 36 times (34 at club level and 2 with their national teams), of which the Argentine won 16 matches, the Portuguese won 11, and 9 ended in a draw.
YOU CAN SEE: Peru will be present in the long-awaited match between PSG and Riyadh Season, as André Carrillo was called up to join the host team and he has a great chance of starting after being one of the stars of Al-Hilal.
In addition, 'CR7' and 'Culebra's' team will be coached by Marcelo Gallardo, one of the greatest coaches in River Plate history.
Sabías que...
They want him. Al-Hilal is looking to add Lionel Messi to the squad and is preparing a juicy economic proposal.
Captain. Cristiano Ronaldo will wear the armband for the Saudi All-Stars team in the match against PSG.