30,000 fans attend PSG training in Doha as Messi prepares for Ronaldo showdown

Argentine great and his Parisian club will take on Cristiano Ronaldo and an all-star Saudi XI in a friendly in Riyadh on Thursday

Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian forward Neymar and Argentine star Lionel Messi during a training session at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on Wednesday, January 18, 2023. AFP

Kylian Mbappe takes a selfie with a fan at the end of PSG's training session at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. PSG will face a Riyadh All-Star XI team, which will include Cristiano Ronaldo, on Thursday. EPA

PSG manager Christophe Galtier speaks to the media after a training session at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. EPA

PSG defender Nuno Mendes vies for the ball with Sergio Ramos during training in Qatar on Wednesday. AFP

PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma during training at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. AFP

PSG fans attend their team's training session at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. Reuters

Lionel Messi fans during PSG's training session at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. Reuters

Neymar during PSG's training session in Doha. Reuters

PSG midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery vies for the ball with Neymar during training. AFP

PSG's Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi during training at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. EPA

Kylian Mbappe during PSG's training session in Qatar. EPA

Lionel Messi takes part in PSG's training session. EPA

Neymar trains with PSG at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. EPA

Lionel Messi during training at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. EPA

Neymar and Timothee Pembele during PSG's training session in Qatar. EPA

Kylian Mbappe and Timothee Pembele during PSG's training. EPA

Paris Saint-Germain players interacted with thousands of supporters in Doha on Wednesday as they trained for a high-profile match with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Argentine great Lionel Messi, French forward Kylian Mbappe and Brazil's Neymar trained at the Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar as the Ligue 1 champions prepared for a friendly against a Saudi all-star XI that will include Al Nassr's new recruit - Portugal superstar Ronaldo.

The match between PSG and the Saudi team will take place at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on Thursday and interest around the game has multiplied for two reasons - fans will get to see Ronaldo v Messi once more and also see the former Real Madrid and Manchester United great play his first game on Saudi soil.

Ronaldo is yet to make his debut for his new club Al Nassr as he is serving a two-match domestic ban imposed by the English Football Association for knocking a phone out of a fan's hand after Manchester United's match against Everton in April.

Interest around the Ronaldo v Messi game is extremely high, with Reuters reporting that the game received more than two million online ticket requests.

Also, a Saudi businessman won a special VIP ticket to attend the friendly after bidding $2.6 million at auction.

PSG players soaked in the atmosphere as they trained in Doha in front of more than 30,000 fans.

Captain Marquinhos told the club website: "We feel at home here in Qatar. We've been welcomed very warmly and given the best possible conditions. The warmth of the fans is going to give us a boost for the rest of the season."

Images from PSG's training session in Doha can be seen in the picture gallery above. To view the next image, click on the arrows or swipe if on a mobile device.

The PSG v Saudi all-star XI game will kick off at 9pm UAE time and will be shown live on beIN Sports.