Amitabh Bachchan meets Messi and Ronaldo

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan arrived with Saudi leaders to meet the teams prior to the highly anticipated encounter between Lionel Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi All-star XI at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.

Big B arrived to the stadium just as the teams were lining up before kickoff, fulfilling the fantasy of every modern football fan.

Amitabh, accompanied by two Saudi dignitaries, stepped out onto the pitch and shook hands with everyone from Messi and Ronaldo to fan favourites Neymar and Kylian Mbappe of PSG.

Fans of both sports and Bollywood went berserk when they saw Bachchan in the stadium.

The Twitterati, true to form, took to the microblogging service to express their elation.

Amitabh Bachchan alongside the greatest football players of [this] generation,” wrote one user. It’s Messi, Neymar, Mbappé, and Ronaldo.

While another said, “Amitabh Bachchan meets Ronaldo [and] Messi in my eyes [love emojis].”

It’s worth noting that fans have been looking forward to this exhibition match because it will be the first time Ronaldo and Messi will meet since Ronaldo signed with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr for the upcoming season.

Ronaldo will lead the Riyadh Season Team, a team comprised of players from both Al Nassr and Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. Whereas Ronaldo’s old Real Madrid colleagues Sergio Ramos and Keylor Navas are on the starting roster for PSG alongside France’s Mbappe and Brazil’s Neymar.

Since Ronaldo’s departure from Real Madrid in 2018, games involving teams that feature Ronaldo and Messi have become uncommon. El Clasico, the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona, saw them play each other at least twice a season, with Messi ranking as Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer.