Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi could line up as team-mates for the first time in their careers under plans being drawn up by Carlos Tevez.
The two superstars have spent more than two decades competing for football’s prizes and establishing one of the most celebrated individual rivalries in sporting history.
Ronaldo and Messi have encountered each other 37 times for club and country, representing opposing sides during battles involving Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Portugal and Argentina.
Yet supporters could now be preparing to play alongside each other rather than attempting to claim another victory over their rival.
Reports in Argentina suggest Tevez wants both icons to feature in a farewell match celebrating his career.
The 42-year-old retired in 2021 following a final spell with Boca Juniors, the Buenos Aires club where his professional journey began.
However, Tevez has never staged a testimonial and is now reportedly planning an occasion at Boca’s La Bombonera stadium.
According to TyC Sports, the former striker has secured permission to use the 57,000-capacity ground and is considering a date in December.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi could line up as team-mates for the first time in their careers under plans being drawn up by Carlos Tevez
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GETTY
Tevez is believed to be targeting approximately 60 guest players from across his career, raising the possibility of Messi and Ronaldo appearing in the same starting XI.
His proposed format would see one team formed from his closest friends in football and his personal life.
They would face a side featuring former team-mates from the clubs Tevez represented during a career spanning Argentina, Brazil, England, Italy and China.
Messi shared a dressing room with Tevez for Argentina and the pair were part of several major international tournaments together.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez helped Manchester United dominate English football | PA
Ronaldo, meanwhile, played alongside the combative forward at Manchester United for two seasons.
They helped Sir Alex Ferguson’s side win consecutive Premier League titles and the Champions League before Tevez made his controversial move across Manchester to join City.
That same year, Ronaldo left for Real Madrid.
Tevez also represented Corinthians and Juventus, meaning a collection of former players could be invited to participate.
Plans for the event remain at an early stage and neither Ronaldo nor Messi has been confirmed as attending.
It also remains uncertain which team Messi would represent if he accepted an invitation, with Tevez still finalising the proposed squads and structure.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are now in the twilight years of their footballing careers | GETTY
Nevertheless, the prospect of the pair playing together would transform a testimonial into a global football event.
Supporters have spent years debating how Ronaldo and Messi might function in the same attack after watching them dominate the sport from opposite sides of Spanish football’s fiercest divide.
Their rivalry has included a remarkable collection of goals, trophies and individual honours, with arguments over the greatest player of their generation continuing long after both men left Europe.
Ronaldo currently plays for Al-Nassr, with Messi at David Beckham’s Inter Miami.
