And so nears the end of football’s greatest era – the time of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The duo have spent more than a decade at the sharp end of the game, breaking barriers and setting new heights for all to try and achieve.

In doing so, they have inspired a generation and brought joy to millions, heck maybe even billions.

But all good things must come to an end, and tonight, when Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain team faced off against a Riyad XI that featured Ronaldo, who was making his debut in Saudi, there was a feeling in the air that this was to be the last time we get to witness the pair on a football pitch together live.

Ronaldo will now surely see out the swansong of his career making unholy amounts of money in the middle-east, away from the limelight of European football.

Whereas Messi won’t be too far behind in moving into the closing scene of the theatre show that is majestic career also.

Those in the stadium must have felt the weight of history bearing down on them as they began to appreciate what they were witnessing.

And that fact clearly wasn’t lost on the players either…

Several videos have emerged that feature Ronaldo sharing special moments with Messi, as well as Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

The first of those moments happened in the tunnel before kick-off. Ronaldo could be seen walking over to the previously mentioned trio before sharing a greeting with all of them. View it below:

VIDEO: Ronaldo greets Neymar, Mbappe and Messi

What an incredible sequence! 🤩
Thank you Riyadh! ❤️💙#PSGRiyadhSeasonTeam #PSGQatarTour2023 pic.twitter.com/O4uKHfQbjk

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 19, 2023

But it was the second moment between Ronaldo and Messi that was slightly more intimate.

It came seconds before kick-off, and you can see that the two players share this feeling of mutual respect for each other which is just incredible to watch.

WATCH: Messi and Ronaldo share one final embrace

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi embracing before a match for what might be the last time.

Who’s cutting onions? 🥹

(via benblack/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/cLHlKXFXar

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 19, 2023

After the game, Messi even took to his Instagram story to recognise Ronaldo.

The little Argentine shared an up-close screenshot of him and his greatest rival embracing in a move that’s clearly shocked a few fans.

Messi actually posted this, meanwhile Ronaldo didn’t even congratulated him for WC pic.twitter.com/tSFOcrmBbM

— 𝙇𝙖𝙋𝙪𝙡𝙜𝙖🇦🇷 (@Hassannrxxvii) January 19, 2023

But it shouldn’t, because if there is one thing we have learnt about Messi and Ronaldo from their final clash, it’s that the pair have a deeper appreciation for each other than anyone else may realise.

They pushed each other to go above and beyond, drove each other to greatness – and so, to end in such a perfect manner is only fitting.