(Miami) Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami denied on Tuesday that it had committed to coming to play a tournament in Saudi Arabia in February, contrary to an announcement by the Saudi promoters of this competition.

“An announcement was made today claiming that FC Inter Miami were to play the Riyadh Season Cup. This is incorrect,” Inter said in a statement.

According to the organizers of the traditional Riyadh Season Cup, Inter Miami is invited to meet the Saudi teams of Al Nassr and Al-Hilal. The idea was to organize a match pitting Lionel Messi (Miami) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr) face to face, for one of the last confrontations, if not the last, between the two giants of the 21st century.

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo have faced each other directly 37 times in their careers, including 30 times in the Spanish Clasico, when the Argentine played for Barcelona and the Portuguese at Real Madrid.

According to football statisticians, Messi has won 17 times and Ronaldo 11 times, with nine draws.

The last confrontation between the two superstars took place on January 19, 2023 in Riyadh during a friendly match won 5-4 by Lionel Messi’s PSG against a selection of the best players playing in Saudi Arabia led by its captain Ronaldo.