What time is PSG v Saudi all-stars match and how can you watch Ronaldo v Messi in UAE?

A Riyadh XI will take on PSG in a friendly game at King Fahd Stadium

Al Nassr's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo watches from the stand as his team take on At Ta'ee at the Mrsool Park Stadium in Riyadh on Friday, January 6, 2023. AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo in the stands during the Saudi Pro League match between Al Nassr and Al Ta'ee in Riyadh on Friday. Reuters

Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo acknowledges fans at Mrsool Park in Riyadh. Reuters

Nassr's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo at the Mrsool Park Stadium in Riyadh. AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo poses with fans in Riyadh on Friday. AP

Al Nassr players before the match against Ta'ee. AP

Al Nassr fands watch the game on Friday despite heavy rain. AP

An Al Nassr fan poses showing a shirt with Cristiano Ronaldo's name on it in Riyadh. Reuters

Fans watched Friday's game amid heavy rain and cold. Reuters

An Al Nassr fan poses with a Cristiano Ronaldo's jersey. Reuters

Al Nassr fans sit during heavy rain at Mrsool Park in Riyadh. AP

Saudi fans watched Friday's game in heavy rain. AP

Follow live: Ronaldo v Messi as PSG play Saudi all-stars

Cristiano Ronaldo is all set to make his maiden appearance in Saudi Arabia on Thursday after his record deal with Al Nassr, and it is going to be a memorable one.

The Portuguese star has had to wait for his first outing in the kingdom as he was serving a two-match domestic ban imposed by the English FA for knocking a phone out of a fan's hand when he played for Manchester United against Everton last April.

Ronaldo, who turns 38 next month, agreed to a contract with Al Nassr that runs until 2025 and is reportedly worth more than $200 million.

And now, after a long wait, Ronaldo will finally take to the field. The star forward will feature in the “Riyadh Season Cup” exhibition game on Thursday as part of an all-star team comprising players from Ronaldo's new club Al Nassr and city rivals Al Hilal. Facing this combined team will be a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain side that will also have Ronaldo's long-time rival Lionel Messi.

Apart from Messi, PSG's line-up is also expected to include France star Kylian Mbappe and Brazil great Neymar.

The Saudi select team includes Salem Al Dawsari, who scored the winning goal in the Green Falcons' shock win over eventual champions Argentina in the World Cup's group stage.

Fixture

Riyadh Season Cup, Riyadh All-Star XI v PSG at King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh

When is the match?

Thursday, January 19, 2023, from 9pm UAE time (8pm Makkah)

How to watch Ronaldo v Messi in the UAE?

The match will be shown on beIN Sports across the Mena region. Live coverage begins on the beIN Sports free-to-air channel and beIN Sports 2 in Arabic from 8pm UAE time, while English coverage starts at 8.30pm on beIN Sports English 1.

Tickets

Demand for tickets for the match is extremely high. According to Reuters, the game has already received more than two million online ticket requests.

To top it all, a Saudi real estate businessman won a special VIP ticket to see the friendly after bidding $2.6 million at auction.

Turki Al Sheikh, an adviser at the Royal Court and head of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, had earlier announced the auction for a VIP ticket, named "Beyond Imagination".

The ticket provides a number of unique benefits, including photo opportunities with players and access to the respective dressing rooms. Al Sheikh then announced on Twitter that real-estate entrepreneur Mushref Al Ghamdi had put in a winning bid of 10 million riyals ($2.6 million) for the special ticket.

Proceeds from the auction will go to the national charity campaign "Ehsan".

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