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Ligue 1 winners Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have announced that they will take on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in a friendly clash in Japan next month.
French champions PSG are set to begin their preparations for the 2023-24 season in July. Having enjoyed much fanfare on their trip to Japan in 2022, Les Parisiens are set to visit the Asian country once again this summer.
They will play their first match in Japan against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in Osaka on July 25. Three days later, they will take on J-League outfit Cerezo Osaka. Galtier’s side will play their last match in Japan against Champions League finalists Inter Milan. The match will take place at Tokyo's National Stadium on August 1.
The match against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr could have potentially been the biggest event of the pre-season calendar had Lionel Messi remained at PSG. However, as confirmed by coach Christophe Galtier, Messi will not renew with the Parisians this summer, meaning he will leave as a free agent at the end of June.
In addition to PSG, English champions Manchester City, German champions Bayern Munich, and Scottish champions Celtic have also announced pre-season tours to Japan this summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo breaks silence amid speculation about Al-Nassr future
Cristiano Ronaldo has opened up about his future at Al-Nassr, amid speculation that he is not happy in Saudi Arabia. He has pointed out some areas of improvement in the infrastructure while assuring that he will continue in Saudi Arabia.
The 38-year-old said in a Saudi Pro League interview (via Supersport):
“We have very good teams, very good Arab players, but the infrastructure - they need to improve a little bit more. Even the referees, the VAR system, should be a little quicker.
“But I'm happy here, I want to continue here, I will continue here.”
Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in January, just over a month after leaving Manchester United by mutual consent. He has since featured in 19 games for the Saudi Pro League outfit in all competitions, scoring 14 times.
He has endured a disappointing end to his debut season in Saudi Arabia, with Al-Nassr missing out on cup glory as well as league success. Ronaldo and Co. finished in second place in the Saudi Pro League standings, five points behind winners Al-Ittihad.
