Fans of football think that Lionel Messi turned down Neymar’s request to take a penalty in the exhibition game between Paris Saint-Germain and Riyadh All-Star XI.
The two superstars started the game in attack with Kylian Mbappe and played just over an hour of the game at the King Fahd International Stadium in Saudi Arabia.
The Riyadh All-Star XI was made up of players from Cristiano Ronaldo’s new club, Al-Hilal, and Al-Nassr.
Messi gave PSG a 1-0 lead after just three minutes. Later in the first half, Ronaldo tied the game with a penalty kick.
Continue: During a match between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi scores in less than 3 minutes.
For a short time, it felt like we were back in the middle of the 2010s, when these two legendary players played against each other every week in La Liga and the Champions League.
Continue: Before the final game, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi shared a special moment.
In the 43rd minute, Marquinhos put PSG back in front, but Ronaldo tied the game with his second goal of the night just before halftime.
Messi and Ronaldo didn’t score in the second half, but PSG still won 5-4.
Did Messi say “no” when Neymar asked him to take the penalty?
If Neymar had scored a penalty in the last minute of the first half, PSG would have been ahead going into the break.
The Brazilian had a chance to make it 3-1 for PSG, but his penalty kick was one of the worst we’ll see all season.
Fans of football who use social media noticed that it looked like Neymar offered the penalty to Messi, but Messi turned it down. The Argentine wanted his teammate to score instead, because he thought that his fellow South American could do the job from 12 yards out.
Check out the video here:
Here are some of the responses:
Here are some of the responses:
Riyadh got a penalty from Neymar. All-Star XI came as a surprise
But after seeing Neymar’s goal, the 35-year-old must wish he had taken it himself. To be fair, he has missed more than his fair share of penalties in his long career.
Neymar is known for his ice-cold penalties. He waits for the goalkeeper to move before rolling the ball past his opponent.
But Mohammed Al-Owais, who plays for Saudi Arabia, didn’t move, and Neymar’s surprisingly weak shot was easy for him to stop.
Click here to see Neymar’s
That’s a big surprise.
Around the hour mark, Neymar, Messi, Mbappe, and Ronaldo were all replaced.
Even though his team lost 5–4, Ronaldo was given the Man of the Match award at the end of the game.
