December surprise: Tevez makes his move
One of football's greatest dreams may come true before Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo bow out. After two decades of rivalry and brilliance, a rare chance has emerged to see the two legends in the same shirt, a scene that could become one of the most remarkable in the history of the game.
Carlos Tevez is the man behind the idea. The former Argentine star wants to stage his testimonial at La Bombonera, the fortress of Boca Juniors, after being denied a farewell befitting his career when he retired in 2022.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Marca", citing the Argentine website "Infobae", Tevez has revived the plan with a target date of 20 December 2026, amid reports that he has secured the approval of Juan Roman Riquelme, the president of Boca Juniors.
On the Argentine channel "Olga", Tevez laid out the shape of the event, revealing his wish to bring in some of the biggest stars he played alongside during his career.
He said: "It will be wonderful, I have to talk to Roman to arrange it at the end of the year", before reeling off a list of prominent names. Among them were the goalkeepers Gianluigi Buffon and Edwin van der Sar, the defenders Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, alongside Andrea Pirlo, Paul Scholes and Riquelme.
Then came the biggest surprise. Touching on the possibility of Messi and Ronaldo taking part together, he affirmed: "We will put them together", before adding: "I will look for Cristiano myself", a nod to his determination to land the Portuguese star alongside "the little one", as he described Messi.
Tevez has a special footballing bond with both legends. He played 47 matches alongside Messi with the Argentina national team and another 80 alongside Ronaldo during their time at Manchester United.
For now the idea sits in the realm of plans and statements. Yet if Tevez pulls it off, he would hand fans an extraordinary sight and rewrite the final chapter of modern football's most famous rivalry, this time far from the battle of goals and titles.