More than a month since his last match, Cristiano Ronaldo is poised to return to action on Thursday.
The Portugal star sealed a move to Saudi Arabia at the end of 2022 following a falling out with Manchester United.
Ronaldo's first match in the country, however, won't be for his new club Al Nassr.
Instead, the 37-year-old will make his debut in the Middle East as part of a combined Al Nassr and Al Hilal All-Star team set to take on French giants PSG in the Riyadh Season Cup.
Is Ronaldo playing today vs PSG?
After missing Al Nassr's last two games through a lingering suspension from his time in England, Ronaldo is expected to feature prominently against PSG on Thursday.
Ronaldo has been named captain of the Riyadh All-Stars side meaning he should start and play a significant portion of the game.
Al Nassr coach Rudi Garcia has previously commented on Ronaldo's involvement in the match pointing out that his club also has a competitive match just three days later, so there is a chance his minutes could be capped as a result.
"It (Ronaldo's debut) won't be with the Al Nassr jersey. It will be a mix between Al Hilal and Al Nassr," Garcia told L'Equipe.
"As the coach of Al Nassr, I cannot be happy with this match. For development, to see PSG, to see the great Parisian players, indeed it is a good thing. But we have a championship game three days later.
"In terms of scheduling, it could have been better thought out. But it's not a big deal...We are in the lead, we are happy. It is a difficult championship to win, but we intend to do it."
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Al Nassr/Al-Hilal squad for Riyadh Season Cup
While Ronaldo headlines the team set to take on PSG, it certainly isn't short on other quality players.
Salem Al-Dawsari scored twice at the World Cup for Saudi Arabia and could prove a dangerous ally up front for Ronaldo.
While predominantly made up of players from Saudi Arabia, the side does include three Brazilians in the persons of Matheus Pereira, Luiz Gustavo and Talisca.
Former Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina was also expected to feature but recently underwent elbow surgery so he has been ruled out.
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| Position | Player | Club | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Amin Al Bukhari | Al Nassr | S. Arabia |
| Goalkeeper | Mohammed Al-Owais | Al Hilal | S. Arabia |
| Right-back | Saud Abdulhamid | Al Hilal | S. Arabia |
| Centre-back | Ali Al-Boleahi | Al Hilal | S. Arabia |
| Centre-back | Jang Hyun-soo | Al Hilal | S. Korea |
| Centre-back | Khalifah Al-Dawsari | Al Hilal | S. Arabia |
| Centre-back | Ali Al-Oujami | Al Nassr | S. Arabia |
| Centre-back | Abdulelah Al-Amri | Al Nassr | S. Arabia |
| Centre-/Left-back | Abdullah Madu | Al Nassr | S. Arabia |
| Right-back | Sultan Al-Ghannam | Al Nassr | S. Arabia |
| Def. Mid. | Abdullah Otayf | Al Hilal | S. Arabia |
| Center Mid | Mohammed Kanno | Al Hilal | S. Arabia |
| Right wing | Andre Carrillo | Al Hilal | Peru |
| Att. Mid. | Matheus Pereira | Al Hilal | Brazil |
| Def. Mid. | Luiz Gustavo | Al Nassr | Brazil |
| Def. Mid. | Abdullah Al-Khaibari | Al Nassr | S. Arabia |
| Att. Mid. | Sami Al-Najei | Al Nassr | S. Arabia |
| Att. Mid. | Talisca | Al Nassr | Brazil |
| Att. Mid. | Pity Martinez | Al Nassr | Argentina |
| Left wing | Salem Al-Dawsari | Al Hilal | S. Arabia |
| Forward | Cristiano Ronaldo | Al Nassr | Portugal |
| Forward | Moussa Marega | Al Hilal | Mali |
