Brazil to play Argentina in MCG blockbuster
The global soccer giants are headed to Melbourne, with legendary Argentinian forward Lionel Messi and Brazillian superstar Neymar among players expected to take to the field.
Victoria
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Global soccer giants Brazil and Argentina are coming to Melbourne in a win for Victoria’s major event comeback.
The star studded rivals will play at the MCG in the lead up to the FIFA World Cup, in an international friendly expected to draw huge crowds.
Legendary Argentinian forward Lionel Messi and Brazilian superstar Neymar are among the big name players expected to take to the field for the June 11 blockbuster.
Sports and Major Events Minister Martin Pakula confirmed one of the biggest rivalries in world soccer would deliver a multimillion-dollar boost to the Victorian economy.
“To have two of the most successful football teams in the world return to the MCG to continue their longstanding rivalry reinforces our position as one of the world’s great sporting cities and Australia’s event capital,’’ he said.
“Football is known as the world game and a match of this calibre will put millions of eyes on Melbourne and attract thousands of visitors to Victoria.”
It will be the second time the South American soccer powers have clashed at the MCG, with a crowd of more than 95,000 watching a sold out “Superclasico” showdown in 2017.
Tickets are expected to go on sale to the public via ticketek.com.au from 2pm on Thursday.
The match, set to be announced on Wednesday, will be the second major soccer showcase at the MCG in as many months.
The Herald Sun last month revealed English Premier League power Manchester United would take on Crystal Palace and Melbourne Victory on July 15 and 19.
The sporting coup comes on the back of a record 419,114 fans packing Albert Park across the four days of the Melbourne Grand Prix and Victoria being announced host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
It will be Messi’s third trip to Melbourne with the record seven time Ballon d’Or winner also starring as a 20 year-old in Argentina’s 1-0 defeat of Australia in a friendly in September 2007.
Neymar was slated to lead Brazil in the 2017 MCG clash against the white and sky blue but withdrew, infuriating organisers.
Brazil is the world’s top FIFA ranked team.
Argentina is ranked fourth, behind Belgium and France.
The FIFA World Cup is scheduled to kick off in Qatar from November 21-December 18.
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