Saudi Arabia is gearing up for another Riyadh Season in the upcoming months. For this year’s installment, Riyadh All-Stars are set to play Manchester City in a clash that will bring together the best of the Saudi Pro League against current Champions League Champions.
As per the speculation, Riyadh All Stars is set to feature all foreigners of the Saudi Pro League which will allow the likes of Karim Benzema, Neymar Jr., Sadio Mané, and Cristiano Ronaldo to play together in a single team. The team will consist of only the foreign players in the Saudi Pro League. This may come as a shock to some, as this might take away the spotlight from Saudi players in their own country.
🚨 A friendly match will be held that brings together the stars of the Riyadh season, “foreigners of the Saudi League,” with Manchester City.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the door, success followed. 🇸🇦
Mason Greenwood #CarabaoCup Doku Grealish Manchester United vs Newcastle https://t.co/lvH01wnxcX pic.twitter.com/Fy3amiApHp
— Emeka Great (@Emekagreat__) September 27, 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo has already been announced as one of the ambassadors of the Riyadh season. The season of celebrations is set to start at the end of October and will continue through the winter.
Visitors from around the world will visit Riyadh for entertainment festivals, concerts, dining experiences, and cultural experiences. For soccer fans, the season will feature another round of ‘Riyadh Season Cup’ as well as a visit by the soccer museum, Legends, who will put on an exhibition of their rarest items for fans.
‼️ Two breaking news within only 30 minutes difference:
• Al Nassr 🇸🇦 vs. Inter Miami 🇺🇸 being organized including a Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi clash
• Saudi Pro League ALL-STARS 🇸🇦 vs. Manchester City 🏴
What Cristiano Ronaldo is doing for Saudi Arabia go down in… pic.twitter.com/sMsYUCDFtr
— TCR. (@TeamCRonaldo) September 27, 2023
Riyad Season and this special friendly in the middle of the season is part of the Saudi Arabia 2030 vision where they want to diversify their economy with the aim of a more secular image of the Kingdom. Soccer being the biggest sport in the world makes this a calculated investment from the Saudi Government.
Previous Friendly of Riyadh All-Stars in the Riyadh Season
Riyad All-Stars were in action against PSG earlier this year, which was the first glimpse of Cristiano Ronaldo to the soccer fans in Saudi Arabia. Lionel Messi was part of PSG at that time, which added another tale to tie.
It was discussed as potentially the last meeting between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. PSG came out victorious in the tie with a 5-4 scoreline, meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo picked up the Man of the Match award with two goals in the match. Both, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe scored for PSG, along with Sergio Ramos.
PSG lift the Riyadh Season Cup after defeating the Riyadh All-Stars. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/MVtkIjwOMB
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 19, 2023
It is noteworthy, that during this match the starting lineup had only five foreign players in the lineup including Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Gustavo, however, the new policy of all foreign players makes sense on paper as the organizers would want to utilize all the newest stars brought in from the European Leagues.
The All-Star match against PSG took place back in January. The date for the latest fixture of the All-Star match is yet to be decided, but it can be expected in the upcoming winter months.