Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi could line up on the same team for the first time in their careers, thanks to a farewell match being organised by former team-mate Carlos Tevez. The two icons spent years as rivals in the Real Madrid and Barcelona clashes, but the ex-striker is hoping to bring them together at Boca Juniors' Bombonera stadium later this year.
Tevez's farewell match plan
Tevez, 42, never received a proper goodbye at the end of his playing career, and a date just before Christmas has been floated for his tribute game. According to Infobae, December 20 is a possible date for the match. The publication reports that Juan Roman Riquelme, another member of Argentina's 2006 World Cup squad, has already signed off on the use of the stadium in his capacity as Boca president.
TyC Sports reports that the hope is for the match to be played between one team comprising Tevez and his friends from the football world and his old neighbourhood, and another representing the 'Rest of the World'. Despite hailing from Argentina, Messi would join Ronaldo on the Rest of the World team.
Tevez's hopes and potential participants
In April 2025, Tevez outlined his hopes for getting Messi and Ronaldo on board. "I'll go get them myself," he said. "We'll play this game, but we'll have to see when. It's not easy. It would be beautiful to close the cycle with a tribute game. It would be beautiful at the end of the year." At the time he had yet to speak to Riquelme but now has the permission of the former midfield maestro.
He has also mentioned other potential participants, though none have been confirmed. Edwin Van der Sar, Gianluigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra, Andrea Pirlo and Paul Scholes are among the former Manchester United and Juventus colleagues who he was hopeful of convincing to play.
Date depends on Boca's season
The exact date of the match could hinge on what happens with Boca in the remainder of the 2026 season. Rodolfo Arruabarrena's team are still fighting on three fronts and if they top the clausura league table they would take part in the Trofeo de Campeones on December 19.
Tevez had three separate spells with boyhood club Boca Juniors during his playing career. He made his senior debut for the club as a teenager and played more than 250 times for the team overall. The ex-striker has twice returned to the Bombonera as a manager since retiring in 2022. He earned a 0-0 draw with Rosario Central in August 2022 and lost 2-0 with Talleres in November 2025.
