Lionel Messi opens up on prospect of facing Cristiano Ronaldo as long-time rivals prepare to lock horns

LIONEL MESSI has revealed he “can’t wait” to lock horns with long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo in a pre-season showdown next month.

MLS giants Inter Miami will head to the Middle East for their pre-season ahead of their 2024 campaign which kicks off on February 21.

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Lionel Messi said he ‘can’t wait’ to lock horns with long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo[/caption]

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Inter Miami will battle it out in a pre-season showdown in Saudi Arabia next month[/caption]

Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr side will welcome Messi and Co. to the Gulf State on February 1 in a thrilling match with two of football’s greats.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner took to Instagram to share his excitement for the upcoming game.

He said: “I can’t wait to be part of #RiyadhSeasonCup with my team Inter Miami CF as we face top Saudi clubs in a historic championship.”

Widely regarded as all-time legends, the pair regularly faced each other in Spain’s La Liga with Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Between them, the record-breaking pair have won every piece of silverware the game has to offer.

The last time the two La Liga rivals played against each other was in January 2023 in Riyadh.

Messi took part in last season’s Riyadh Season Cup with his former side Paris Saint-Germain against Ronaldo after the Portugal great’s surprise move to Al Nassr.

The 2022 World Cup winner managed to scrape a victory against the Saudi Arabian side in a 5-4 win.

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But before Messi takes on the Portuguese superstar again he will first play Al-Hilal two days before.

And joining Inter Miami this year are some new faces including Uruguay sensation Luis Suarez.

He is the fourth Barca legend to join the MLS outfit following the footsteps of Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

Instagram @intermiamicf

Luis Suarez is the newest ex-Barcelona player to join the MLS side[/caption]