Chinese football fans raced on Wednesday to snap up tickets to see Cristiano Ronaldo play a rare match in their home country, with multiple online platforms selling out within a few hours.

Messi and Ronaldo, who have faced each other more than 30 times in their careers, have won 13 Ballon d'Or awards between them, with the Argentine leading that race eight to five.

Former England goalkeeper Shilton is acknowledged as the record holder for the most competitive men's professional games, though the total is disputed. Some statistics websites say the tally is 1,390 but Shilton himself, on his X feed, gives it as 1,387.

Former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane and Anderson Talisca also scored for the Saudi side late Tuesday as they made it three wins from three in the group stages of the premier Asian club competition.

Senin Sebai scored on the break to put the club from Dushanbe in front with a minute left in the first half and Istiklol held out under relentless pressure until Ronaldo levelled with a clever clipped finish in the 66th minute.

The streets were crowded with fans who raised welcome banners and pictures of Ronaldo upon the arrival of the Saudi Arabian team in Iran after the restoration of relations between the two countries

Roberto Martinez's side have now won all six of their qualifying games, without conceding a single goal and scoring 24 themselves, with this the country's largest ever victory.

"If you love Cristiano Ronaldo, you don’t have to hate (Lionel) Messi. We have both changed the history of world football,” Ronaldo said during an interview during with Record, a Portuguese newspaper.

"I want more," the forward told a press conference before training with the national side at Oeiras, on the outskirts of Lisbon, ahead of upcoming European Championship qualifiers.

Ronaldo scored his sixth goal in his last three games and claimed two assists as Al Nassr recorded a third straight league victory. Sadio Mane was also on the scoresheet.

The Portuguese superstar got things underway in the 13th minute as he converted from the spot after a handball in the Al Shabab penalty area. He added to his tally five minutes later with a header only for the goal to be disallowed for a push on a defender.

This summer's transfer fees alone top $830 million, without counting the players' eye-watering wages, or Ronaldo's January signing in a deal which is said to net him 400 million euros over two-and-a-half years

The Saudi Pro League side came from behind to triumph 4-2 in the play-off at Mrsool Park, with Brazilian Anderson Talisca scoring twice and Croatia international Marcelo Brozovic rounding off the win. Nassr had been two minutes from exiting the tournament

The 31-year-old Neymar signed a two-year contract with the Riyadh-based club on Tuesday after spending six years with Paris St Germain, in a deal reportedly worth about 90 million euros ($98 million)

Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival in January to play for Riyadh-based Al-Nassr is what first drew global attention to ongoing efforts to boost the Saudi Pro League.

Cristiano Ronaldo guided 10-man Al-Nassr to their first ever Arab Club Champions Cup title after scoring twice in a 2-1 extra-time win over fellow Saudi side Al-Hilal on Saturday.

The Portuguese superstar had a couple of half-chances to break the deadlock after coming off from the bench.

Mbappe was sensationally left out of the squad on the eve of PSG's departure for their Asian tour, casting doubt on his future at the French champions

 Brazilian full back Alex Telles has left Manchester United to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr on a contract until 2025, the two clubs announced on Sunday.

Ronaldo already held the record for most international appearances when he surpassed Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa’s, who held the record of 196 matches, during Portugal's Euro 2024 qualifier against Liechtenstein in March