The La Liga pair face off in a friendly international on Tuesday - not quite the intense Clasico ties that they will be used to, with the teams merely playing for pride
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo clash again as Portugal meet Argentina on neutral ground on Tuesday.
Manchester's Old Trafford will host the fixture, meaning a return to the city for former United star Ronaldo, which is highly anticipated despite its friendly status.
The two La Liga stars are among the favourites - as they have been for several consecutive seasons - for the upcoming Ballon d'Or.
Either Barcelona's Messi or Real Madrid's Ronaldo have won the prestigious award for the last six years and, although debates over who is the best are likely to rage for decades to come, there is no doubting their stardom.
Both sides come into the match off the back of victories - Portugal's coming in a competitive match on Friday.
Fittingly, Ronaldo scored the only goal of their 1-0 Euro 2016 qualifying success against Armenia - a strike that saw him become the highest goalscorer in European Championship (qualification and finals combined) history.
It was a similar tale in Denmark last month - Ronaldo giving Portugal a 1-0 win as they bounced back from a shock home defeat to Albania in their opening qualifier that saw Paulo Bento lose his job.
Ricardo Quaresma made another telling impact off the bench for coach Fernando Santos against Armenia and could be in line for a start.
It was no surprise to see Messi prove the difference against a second-string Croatia at Upton Park on Wednesday.
Croatia took a surprise lead before Cristian Ansaldi levelled proceedings - leaving Messi to hit the winning penalty in a 2-1 victory.
Gerardo Martino's side, still fine-tuning their preparations for next year's Copa America, have not played a competitive match since their heartbreaking World Cup final defeat to Germany in extra-time.
That gives Portugal an edge - but Santos' men will have to contend with a forward line that could consist of any of Messi, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and the recalled Carlos Tevez.
Tevez did not start against Croatia, introduced as a 62nd-minute substitute, but may be involved from the beginning at Old Trafford - a ground he also formerly called home.
The two nations have played each other seven times before, but just once since 1972.
That clash came in February 2011, with Messi's 90th-minute penalty giving Argentina a 2-1 win - a match Ronaldo also scored in.
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