Madrid, April 14 (IANS) Two of the most popular footballers in the world Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could play alongside each other in a All-Star match showcasing the best of European-based talent for European football’s world governing body UEFA, according to media reports in Spain and England.
Ronaldo and Messi would feature for “Team South” which will consist of players from Spain’s La liga, Italia’s Serie A and France’s Ligue 1 – against a similar “Team North” team comprising footballers from the ENglish Premier League, German Bundesliga and the Russian Premier League reports dailymail.co.uk on Tuesday.
According to Spanish sports newspaper Mundo Deportivo a marketing company has approached UEFA and proposed the annual fixture, which is inspired from the National Basket Association’s (NBA) All-Star game between the Western and Eastern Conferences.
The players who will be a part of the game will be chosen by an online fan poll, with no more than three players from any club side.
But despite such restrictions, the proposed encounter can be a mouth-watering extravaganza for football fanatics as Messi and Neymar could join hands with Ronaldo and Real Madrid’s Wales international Gareth Bale.
Other possible stars in the “South” team include Paris Saint-Germain forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.
The “North” team could have Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, Manchester United winger Angel di Maria and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
The fixture is expected to draw in large crowds and a massive audience around the world but a hurdle in the way of the prospect can be if clubs do not wish to risk their talismanic players for the event.