Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappe and Jang Hyun-soo all get a goal in PSG-Saudi exhibition game

Football

Published: 21 Jan. 2023, 10:59 Updated: 21 Jan. 2023, 11:04

Ronaldo, Messi, Mbappe and Jang Hyun-soo all get a goal in PSG-Saudi exhibition game

Riyadh XI defender Jang Hyun-soo, center, celebrates with Cristiano Ronaldo, right, after scoring his team's third goal during an exhibition match against Paris Saint-Germain at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on Friday. [AFP/YONHAP]

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos and Kylian Mbappe all scored in the exhibition match of the century as Paris Saint-Germain beat a Saudi all-star team dubbed Riyadh XI 5-4 on Friday, with Korea's own Jang Hyun-soo adding his name to the scoresheet.

The exhibition game in the Saudi capital was billed as a chance to see two of the greatest active players on the same pitch for quite possibly the last time, although with Neymar and Mbappe also playing it was actually four of the world's best players.

It was also the first chance for the Saudi Arabian football machine to cash in on the record 200-million-euro-a-year deal Al Nassr reportedly made with the Portuguese player.

Messi opened the scoring three minutes in and Ronaldo got a brace, scoring a penalty in the 34th minute and again during injury time at the end of the first half.

Lionel Messi of PSG in action against Cristiano Ronaldo of Riyadh XI during during an exhibition match at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on Friday. [EPA/YONHAP]

Marquinhos scored goal No. 2 for PSG, with Ramos, Mbappe and Hugo Ekitike completing the five for the French club.

Jang of Al-Hilal and Brazilian player Talisca of Al Nassr scored goals No. 3 and 4 for the Saudi best XI, with Talisca's effort in injury time rounding off the 5-4 score.

Jang is one of two Korean players currently active in the Saudi league, with regular Korean national team goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu playing for Al Shabab. Jang was the only Korean player called up to the Riyadh XI, and was one of only four players to play the full 90 minutes.

Now 31, Jang was a regular fixture on the Korean national team until 2018, when he received a lifetime ban from the Korea Football Association for falsifying records to alternative military service. He was a central part of the Korean defensive line with 58 caps and three goals.

He has played for Al-Hilal since 2019 and is a regular starter with 75 appearances and two goals. He has one the Saudi title three times, the Saudi treble and the AFC Champions League with the club.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]