By Kingsley Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo came very close to facing each other in a high-profile All-Stars match at Wembley Stadium, according to reports.
The proposed event, dating back to 2014, would have seen both legends hand-pick their global starting XIs for a mega match in London. The initiative was led by former dotcom millionaire Robert Bonnier, who approached both Messi’s and Ronaldo’s camps with a bold vision: a £90 million super-match outside of major international tournaments.
At the time, both players were still dominating La Liga—Messi with Barcelona and Ronaldo with Real Madrid. Wembley Stadium was selected as the venue, and both stars would have worn gear from their respective sponsors: Adidas for Messi and Nike for Ronaldo.
Bonnier’s ambition was to turn the game into a recurring event every two years, styled more like a global football festival than a friendly—complete with live music, laser shows, and even a proposed boxing match finale.
However, the match never materialized. Complications involving multiple stakeholders and football politics ultimately derailed the project. One major hurdle was a reported £21 million demand from Real Madrid president Florentino Perez for any of his players to participate.
TV producer David Piper, who was involved in the project, said:
> “An All-Star game is the last great frontier for football. We were very close.”