It happens in Roshn: the story of a Saudi club that brought together Messi and Kanté

The Saudi Roshn League has thrown up a rare irony during the current summer transfer window, after one of its clubs managed to bring together Messi and Kanté.

Lionel Messi and N'Golo Kanté rank among world football's most prominent stars, but neither plays in Saudi Arabia. The Flea is with American side Inter Miami, while the French star wears the shirt of Turkey's Fenerbahçe.

Both global stars sit on different continents far from Saudi Arabia. Yet Al-Ettifaq have still managed to bring their two names together in the Roshn League.

On 14 August, Al-Ettifaq announced the signing of French winger Ryan Messi, arriving from Strasbourg on loan until the end of the current season.

The 19-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Neom, featuring in 13 matches, scoring once and providing a single assist.

He is no star yet, but Al-Ettifaq made the most of his name. The club posted a video announcing the deal on its official X account, captioning it: "Messi is Ettifaqi".

That announcement stirred up plenty of debate, with the Saudi club leaving out the player's first name. They pulled the same trick last Sunday when confirming the arrival of Ivorian midfielder Abdallah Kanté.

Once again, Al-Ettifaq posted a video on its official X account to announce the deal, captioning it: "Kanté is Ettifaqi" and again dropping the first name.

The younger Kanté is a 21-year-old Ivorian midfielder. Al-Ettifaq signed him from England's Middlesbrough for 5 million euros, according to press reports.

Al-Ettifaq will be hoping some of their namesakes' quality has rubbed off on Ryan Messi and Abdallah Kanté, and that the pair can lift the team's fortunes this season. Two defeats in the first four rounds have left them ninth on six points.