‘Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo one last time!’ – Taylor Twellman calls for MLS to play next All-Star game against Saudi Arabia’s finest
Taylor Twellman has talked up the prospect of a final showdown between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the next MLS All-Star game.
- Messi firing on all cylinders in MLS
- Saudi attracting some of the biggest names
- Twellman wants to rekindle the old rivalry
WHAT HAPPENED? Ronaldo shocked the world by signing a lucrative contract at Al-Nassr in January, bringing his illustrious career in Europe to an end. Some of the biggest footballing stars have followed him to Saudi Arabia, including the likes of Karim Benzema, Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane, with Neymar also now on the brink of shifting base to the Middle East. Meanwhile, MLS got Messi on their books when he decided to join Inter Miami instead of Al-Hilal after leaving Paris Saint-Germain in June.
Now, former United States international Twellman has suggested that the next MLS All-Star match should be played against a Saudi Pro League side formed by the best players in the competition, which would potentially see Messi and Ronaldo facing off once again on the pitch.
WHAT THEY SAID: “You know what the next All-Star game I would do? Saudi Arabia All-Stars versus MLS All-Stars, and I would put it in the Rose Bowl. I would put it in the Rose Bowl and have Messi versus Ronaldo that one last time,” Twellman said on the Dan Le Batard show with Stugotz.
“I would tap into this. Because it is a real, interesting topic among the both leagues and how they’re going about their business. Messi’s lit MLS on fire, you now have younger players here in MLS versus the older players in Saudi Arabia. But both leagues are now on the radar of the world market that they weren’t six, eight, 12 months ago. I would play into the Messi-Ronaldo thing in two seconds.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Messi and Ronaldo faced each other earlier in January when Paris Saint-Germain played an exhibition match against a Riyadh All-Star team, which was formed by combining the best players of Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal. While Ronaldo scored a brace, Messi scored once to help PSG to a 5-4 victory.
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WHAT NEXT? In 2023, the MLS All-Stars locked horns against Arsenal, where they lost by a 5-0 margin. However, Messi did not take part in the match as he was yet to complete his transfer to Inter Miami. It now remains to be seen if Twellman’s wish comes to fruition in the next few years.
