The iconic rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could be renewed this summer in a clash between their respective clubs.
Barcelona and Juventus will lock horns in the annual Joan Gamper Trophy exhibition on Sunday, August 8.
Both the men’s and women’s sides of the two clubs will meet for a double-header at Camp Nou. The 99,354-seater stadium will be at 20% capacity, meaning around 19,869 fans will be in attendance. Ticket sales began on Friday, with Barcelona club members getting a 30% discount.
The Barcelona and Juventus women’s teams will kick off the event at 18:00 (CET) that evening before the men’s match begins at 21:30 (CET).
Tickets to see both games are still available on Barcelona’s ticket sales channel, with prices starting at €29 at the time of writing.
Could Messi and Ronaldo meet?
As of today, Lionel Messi is still a free agent. The Argentine has reportedly agreed on a new five-year deal to stay at Camp Nou. But Barcelona’s €1.2 billion debt and struggles to reduce their wage bill to satisfy La Liga’s salary cap has prevented the deal from going through.
They have until the end of the summer transfer window on August 31 to resolve everything.
Ronaldo’s future, meanwhile, is also up in the air. Moves to Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain have been touted, although he looks more likely to stay at Juventus for next season.
So as things stand, everything appears to hinge on whether Barcelona can complete a new deal for Messi in time.
What is the Joan Gamper Trophy?
The Joan Gamper Trophy is an annual exhibition held at Camp Nou every August of a calendar year since 1966. The competition is named in honor of Barcelona founder Joan Gamper.
Barcelona have won the competition a record 43 times and last suffered defeat in 2012 in a 1-0 loss to Sampdoria. Incidentally, they also lost their last encounter to Juventus in the competition in 2005 on penalties.
Record scorers in the Joan Gamper Trophy
To probably nobody’s surprise, Lionel Messi is the record scorer in the Joan Gamper Trophy. The 34-year-old has scored nine goals, won the MVP award a record four times, and is the only player to ever score in six successive editions (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018).
Ronaldo, meanwhile, has never taken part in the Joan Gamper Trophy before now.
| Pos | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 9 |
| 2. | Juan Manuel Asensi | Barcelona | 7 |
| 3. | Txiki Begiristain | Barcelona | 7 |
| 4. | Hristo Stoichkov | Barcelona | 7 |
| 5. | Josep Maria Fusté | Barcelona | 6 |
| 6. | Marcial Pina | Barcelona | 5 |
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