“Enough to make a grown a*s man cry” – Twitter explodes as both Ronaldo and Messi prove why they are the GOATs

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi may have ended their long-running 'GOAT' rivalry in one of the most entertaining friendlies in history. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) claimed a brilliant 5-4 win over the Riyadh Season Team despite being a man down.

Messi grabbed PSG's opener in just the third minute as the Argentine tucked home a silky finish after a clever assist from Neymar. However, Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn't let PSG's protagonists steal the spotlight from him in Riyadh.

He won a contentious penalty in the 32nd minute after colliding with Keylor Navas. The iconic attacker stepped up and converted the resulting penalty with aplomb to even the proceedings. He gave supporters his trademark 'Siu' celebration, much to their delight.

PSG were down to 10 in the 39th minute when Juan Bernat was given his marching orders for fouling Salem Aldawsar. However, they came back ahead despite being a man down in the 43rd minute.

Marquinhos dinked home from close range following Kylian Mbappe's astute pass. Christophe Galtier's side should have extended their lead when Neymar won a penalty in the 45+2nd minute. However, the Brazilian's penalty was easily saved by Saudi All-Star goalkeeper Mohammed Alowais.

Cristiano Ronaldo was at it again in the 45+6th minute as his impressive header hit the post, and he was the first to react to smash home another equalizer. It was a frantic first half between the two sides, and the competitiveness was not that of an exhibition match.

Riyadh Season Team were eager to take the lead following half-time. Anderson Talisca sent a fierce shot just over Navas' bar in the 48th minute. PSG then took another lead in the 53rd minute when Sergio Ramos struck from close range. The lead lasted just three minutes as Jang Hyun-soo nodded home a Ronaldo-like equalizing header in the 56th minute.

Goals kept coming as PSG took a 4-3 lead when Mbappe struck from the penalty spot in the 60th minute. The supporters certainly got their money's worth; however, they were upset when Ronaldo and Messi were substituted in the 62nd minute.

Hugo Ekitike came on for Messi and smashed home the Parisans' fifth in the 78th minute with a fine finish. Anderson Talisca struck late in the 90+4th minute to close out a memorable friendly.

Here's how Twitter reacted to the potential final chapter in the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry:

Cristiano Ronaldo spoke fondly of Lionel Messi in an interview before the FIFA World Cup

Ronaldo spoke of his respect for the Parisian attacker before the World Cup. He told TalkTV:

The Al Nassr forward endured a FIFA World Cup to forget as Portugal were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Morocco. He scored just one goal in five games during the tournament in Qatar.

Meanwhile, his rival enjoyed a memorable campaign in the Middle East. He led Argentina to the trophy for the first time in his career. The PSG attacker scored seven goals and provided three assists. He was awarded the Golden Ball for his showing.

However, fans were somewhat disappointed not to see Portugal and Argentina meet, so the iconic pair could face off in a monumental final.

About the author

Matthew is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who has been covering news, rumors and match reports for close to 3 years. Learning creative writing from University of Essex, he combined his skills and passion for football take up writing for the sport professionally.

Matthew always strives to go beyond a story and offer unique and lesser-known insights, while maintaining an unbiased tone in his articles. His reporting exploits at the company have helped him gain a humungous readership of 25 million, with one of his articles raking in a whopping 724,000 reads.

A Manchester United fan since childhood, Matthew admired Sir Alex Ferguson for his loyalty and brave coaching style. His favorite footballer is Thierry Henry, believing the Frenchman to be uniquely talented and charismatic. An ardent Three Lions fan, England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment of all time, and he believes that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will have a Ballon d’Or duopoly after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He also follows his local EFL League Two clubs AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United, and spends his free time watching and writing about professional wrestling. He also likes to work out, watch movies and go for night outs.

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