PSG has challenged several of its best players Al-Hilal and Al-Nasr, including Cristiano Ronaldo.
Nine goals, two penalties, one suspended player... If this had been a Champions League or World Cup match, it would have been called legendary.
Messi, who had won the World Cup in Qatar a month earlier, opened the scoring. Cristiano, the new idol of the home team, scored twice, despite a cheekbone injury suffered by Keylor Navas. The two superstars showed little principle in this 37th meeting together, the first in a friendly match that ended with Messi's 17th win over Cristiano.
Mbappé took over as captain when Marquinhos left after halftime. This is not the first time he has taken the captain's armband (in November 2021, against Nantes). In the absence of Prennelle Klimpembe or Marco Verratti, it was Mbappé who was chosen by Galtier for the role.