Messi, Ronaldo to play together as Tevez invites stars for La Bombonera farewell in December

Abdullateef Fowewe

Carlos Tevez is set to hold his long-awaited farewell match at Boca Juniors’ iconic La Bombonera stadium in December, with formal invitations extended to both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Argentine outlet TyC Sports.

The testimonial, aimed at officially closing Tevez’s playing career five years after his 2021 retirement, will be staged at La Bombonera, the ground where he began and ended his career across three spells with Boca.

Boca president Juan Román Riquelme—Tevez’s former teammate has already approved the use of the 57,000-capacity stadium for the event.

Organisers are targeting two possible windows—December 12–13 or December 19–20—pending Boca’s fixture list, including potential clashes with the Clausura final and other end-of-season commitments.

Star guest list: up to 60 players, headlined by Messi and Ronaldo
Tevez plans to invite around 60 guests drawn from clubs and countries where he played—Boca, Corinthians, West Ham, Manchester United, Manchester City, Juventus, and Argentina—and split them into two sides for the showcase.

The marquee names are Messi, his Argentina teammate in 47 appearances, and Ronaldo, with whom he shared a Manchester United dressing room and featured alongside in 80 games.

In interviews, Tevez has indicated he wants the two icons on the same team, saying, “We’ll get them together,” and adding that he would personally go to fetch Ronaldo if needed.

While Messi and Ronaldo have faced each other countless times, this event offers the unusual prospect of the two modern greats appearing as teammates in the same match—if both accept their invitations.