Former Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo is set to captain the Al Nassr-Al Hilal combined XI for the friendly against Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday.
The Portuguese ace, who left Old Trafford in November following his controversial interview with Piers Morgan, will play his first match on Saudi Arabian later this week, with an All-Star XI, consisting of players from Al-Nassr and Al Hilal, taking on French giants PSG at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh.
Al-Nassr manager Rudi Garcia recently confirmed that the 37-year-old would feature in the friendly, before making his competitive debut for the Saudi Pro League outfit against Ettifaq on Sunday.
It has since emerged that Ronaldo will also captain the All-Star XI against PSG, with the former Real Madrid attacker set to come up against long-time rival Lionel Messi.
Turki Al-Sheikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Entertainment, confirmed the news on Twitter – posting a video of himself handing the armband to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Ronaldo is yet to make his competitive debut for Al-Nassr, despite joining the club towards the end of December. He has missed the Saudi Arabian side’s last two matches through suspension, which came as a result of him smashing an Everton fan’s phone last April.
The Portugal captain parted company with United following his explosive interview with Morgan prior to the World Cup in Qatar, with the forward having criticised his then manager Erik ten Hag, the club’s owners and several of his former teammates.
He left Old Trafford having registered 145 goals and 64 assists across his two spells in Manchester. He also won three Premier League titles and the Champions League.
