What about Cristiano? Messi reveals his stance on attending Tevez's farewell
A terrifying list of legends ignites the event
Carlos Tevez's farewell has outgrown the idea of a simple retirement match. It is now shaping up as a historic football occasion, one that could deliver something the game has never seen.
Tevez confirmed Lionel Messi's attendance before the Cristiano Ronaldo surprise went public, and Argentine website "Infobae" then revealed the first, jaw-dropping guest list for the "El Apache" send-off, set for Sunday 20 December at La Bombonera.
Billed as "From ball boy to legend", the event will be far more than a match. It doubles as a huge musical concert featuring stars handpicked by Tevez, among them La Mona Jiménez and Pablo Lescano.
Messi at the forefront: Boca legends return
Speaking to Rio Ferdinand, Tevez confirmed his closest friend Juan Román Riquelme will be there alongside Lionel Messi, who played with him for Argentina from his debut in 2005 until the Tata Martino era.
He has also secured a reunion of the Boca Juniors legends who lifted the 2003 Intercontinental Cup. Historic coach Carlos Bianchi will lead them, with Martín Palermo, Sebastián Battaglia, Nicolás Burdisso and Diego Cagna all in the mix, plus awaited names such as Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Marcelo Delgado, Roberto Abbondanzieri, Daniele De Rossi, Fernando Gago and Leandro Paredes.
Friends of Argentina and world stars
Sergio Agüero, Pablo Zabaleta, Esteban Cambiasso and Gabriel Batistuta have confirmed from the Argentina camp. Others could follow. Higuaín, Mascherano, Di María, Maxi Rodríguez and Lavezzi are all in the frame.
Abroad, Tevez has landed two goalkeepers of legendary calibre: Italian Gianluigi Buffon, his teammate at Juventus, and Dutchman Edwin van der Sar, the former Manchester United stopper. Arturo Vidal and Patrice Evra, one of his closest friends in the game, will join them.
Italian coach Roberto Mancini will take charge of the "Friends of Tevez" or "Rest of the World" side as they take on the Boca legends.
Will Messi and Ronaldo play together for the first time?
Every eye now turns to the final name. Tevez put it plainly: "I will call up Cristiano myself".
Ronaldo wraps up his season with Saudi side Al-Nassr on 14 December and won't return to official action until the AFC Champions League in February 2026, which leaves him free to attend. Messi, meanwhile, hopes to have wrapped up the MLS final with Inter Miami on 18 December.
Should the miracle come off, it would mark the first time in history that Messi and Ronaldo line up in the same team. They have faced each other with their national sides just twice, and once in the 2023 Riyadh Season, when Paris Saint-Germain beat an Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal combined XI, led by Ronaldo, 5-4.
Tickets are expected to go on sale soon, with more awaited names on the way: Pirlo, Chiellini, Pogba, Park Ji-sung, Rooney, Scholes, Ferdinand and even stars from other sports such as Juan Martín del Potro and Formula 1 driver Franco Colapinto.
