Juventus will face Barcelona in the Gamper Trophy on August 8, so despite all the controversy and uncertainty, it should be Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi yet again for the 37th time.
The pre-season friendly match has been announced at Camp Nou, their first meeting since Juve thrashed Barca 3-0 in the Champions League group stage in December 2020.
For many months, it had seemed as if neither of these Ballon d’Or serial winners would still be at their clubs going into the 2021-22 campaign.
However, all signs point to them facing off once more wearing the Juve and Barcelona jerseys.
Ronaldo is expected back in Turin on Sunday, so he can start training with his Bianconeri teammates on Monday.
He was given more time off after Portugal reached the knockout stages of UEFA EURO 2020.
Although there are still some reports CR7 could leave for Paris Saint-Germain this summer, it is increasingly likely he will remain.
The same goes for Messi, who is technically right now a free agent, because his contract with Barcelona was allowed to expire on June 30.
He has been negotiating a brand new deal, which would reportedly see him cut his salary by 50 per cent.
The 34-year-old is fresh from winning the Copa America with Argentina, his first major trophy at international level after several failed Final appearances.
Ronaldo and Messi have met on the pitch 36 times in their careers, 18 of those being El Clasico Liga matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
In their history of going head-to-head, Messi emerged on the winning side 16 times, Ronaldo 11 and nine ended in draws.
The Argentine also only just has the upper hand on goals scored, with 22 to 21, after CR7 bagged a brace in the most recent encounter for Juventus.
While Messi won the Ballon d’Or on six occasions, most recently in 2019, 36-year-old Ronaldo has lifted that trophy five times, the latest in 2017.