Ronaldo and Messi to battle as Inter Miami confirms Al Hilal and Al Nassr friendlies

With the curtain coming down on the 2023 MLS season as Columbus Crew lifted the MLS Cup on Saturday after a 2-1 win over LAFC, thoughts already turn to the 2024 season with clubs now plotting and planning new signings and pre-season activity ahead of the new campaign.

Inter Miami with Lionel Messi in the ranks has now become a global brand and as a result, are spreading their wings far and wide with two new friendly pre-season games confirmed to the already announced El Salvador and Hong Kong matches.

The first destination for the Fort Lauderdale organization will be El Salvador on 19 January 2024, to face La Selecta at the Cuscatlán Stadium. Before heading to Hong Kong on 4 February, Tata Martino’s men will make a stopover in Riyadh to face the Saudi capital’s powerhouses in Al Hilal and Al Nassr.

Inter Miami will first take on Al-Hilal at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Monday 29 January. The Saudi side is the most decorated in the history of Asia with 66 titles to its name and currently top the Saudi Pro League table with a seven-point cushion. The team is coached by former Sporting CP manager Jorge Jesus and boasts star players such as Neymar (who is unavailable through injury), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Rúben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Kalidou Koulibaly and Malcom.

Then, on Thursday, 1 February, the Herons will face Al Nassr at the Kingdom Arena. The match will pit Inter Miami star Lionel Messi against a familiar opponent in Cristiano Ronaldo, who stars for Al Nassr and is the Saudi Pro League’s leading goal scorer this season.

The team, coached by Portuguese manager Luís Castro, currently sits second in the table behind Al-Hilal, and also features other stars like Sadio Mané and Aymeric Laporte.