Tens of Thousands of Empty Seats Expected for Messi vs. Ronaldo Showdown

Argentina take on Portugal at Old Trafford on Tuesday night as the two best players in the world, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, renew their high profile rivalry. 

You might think that it is the hottest ticket in town but the match is set to played in front of tens of thousands of empty seats in Manchester.

Despite the presence of the Barcelona and Real Madrid superstars, as well Manchester United and City stars like Angel Di Maria and Sergio Aguero, less than half of Old Trafford's 75,635 capacity had been sold by close of business on Monday. 

As per Jim White in the Daily Telegraph: 

"

Whatever the hype, it is not an offering that can legitimately described as having caught the imagination of the local football-going public. According to an official spokesman for World XI, the match promoters, “near enough 30,000” tickets have been sold. With the possibility for paying on the gate, he added, the organisers hope another 20,000 will turn up.

At £60 for an adult ticket and £30 for a child, it is not a cheap watch for a friendly international. 

"

The match is being broadcast on English television by MUTV, a niche subscription channel that the vast majority of people do not have access to.

However, it is also going up against the Scotland vs. England friendly which is being broadcast free-to-air on ITV 1. 

[Daily Telegraph]