Ronaldo vs. Messi's Barcelona could happen again

Stuart Telford

• 11 Apr 2023 22:42 BST
• 3 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo could find himself playing against Barcelona - and potentially Lionel Messi - again next season with the Blaugrana floating the idea of playing games in Saudi Arabia.

Ronaldo and Messi defined a generation of football, sharing 12 Ballons d'Or between them, all but one across the peaks of their careers at Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Ronaldo now plies his trade in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, who made him the game's highest-paid player on €200 million a year in January. Al-Hilal have reportedly offered Messi twice that to join him in the Middle East.

READ: Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr: Goals, assists, results & fixtures

But Barca have emerged as Messi's most likely next destination with his PSG contract concluding this summer - if they can finance the deal with another of Joan Laporta's infamous 'levers'.

But the Blaugrana are in legal as well as financial trouble of late, standing accused of paying former referee chief Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira a total of €7.3 million over a number of years, in return for favourable outcomes.

UEFA have now launched their own investigation, and could kick the five-time European champions out of the Champions League next season, even if they qualify as winners of La Liga.

READ: Barcelona make REQUEST to complete Messi mega-transfer

Barca could replace UCL with Saudi friendlies

"I continue to maintain that Barcelona will be sanctioned," OK Diario's Eduardo Inda told El Chiringuito. "It's what the law says, which speaks of a year of expulsion. The big question is whether it will arrive in time for the next season or for the one after.

"[Barca president Joan] Laporta has told to those closest to him - who do not know if he is ironic or serious - that if Barca is out of the Champions League, the financial loss will be tens of millions of euros.

"He has told his people about the possibility of filling that European matchday in Saudi Arabia… friendly matches during the Champions League."

Ronaldo has 20 goals in 34 career meetings with Barcelona, and would relish the chance to add to that tally, whether or not the Blaugrana manage to re-sign Messi.