Cristiano Ronaldo to make Saudi debut in friendly against PSG

Ronaldo will captain the team made up of players from Saudi sides Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr against Messi's PSG in what will be the latest chapter of the celebrated global soccer rivalry.

The line-up also features Saudi internationals Salem Al-Dawsari, who scored in the shock group-stage win over Argentina in last year's World Cup, and Saud Abdulhamid.

The highly anticipated showdown, which reportedly had more than 2 million online ticket requests, will take place in Riyadh on Thursday.

The bidding for a VIP "Beyond Imagination" ticket to the match has already topped 10 million riyals (£2.18m) in an auction that is set to end on Tuesday.

Ronaldo missed the first two domestic games for Al-Nassr after being suspended by England's Football Association for knocking a phone out of a fan's hand in April.

The Portuguese forward arrived at the Arab team earlier this month on a deal until 2025 estimated by media to be worth more than 200 million euros (£177m).

Ronaldo is set to make his first competitive appearance in the Saudi Pro League on Sunday when Al-Nassr host Al-Ettifaq.

You can follow the match live on Flashscore from 6pm on January 19th.