On Tuesday, December 30, Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid will face Keisuke Honda and AC Milan at The Sevens in Dubai in an end-of-year football friendly in the UAE. Here’s everything you need to know about the game:
The Sevens ground in Dubai
December 30. Doors will open for the 8pm match at 5pm.
The Dubai Football Challenge has been staged both as a four-team tournament and a single match event in the past, the last time in 2012 when AC Milan defeated Paris Saint-Germain at the Al Ahli’s Rashid Stadium.

Milan have been a fixture in Dubai at winter time, beating Bundesliga club Hamburg in 2009 and Al Ahli in 2010, in addition to their 2012 victory. Their longstanding relationship with Emirates Airline as a sponsor, along with a chance to get in a bit of winter training in the hospitable Arabian Gulf climate, have contributed to their return. Real Madrid, additionally, are a new affiliate of Emirates getting some winter work done in Dubai this year for the first time.
Full first squads are expected to participate. Like any friendly, it’s impossible to tell how long any one player will stay in the match, but barring an unexpected injury, fans should get at least a brief look of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Keisuke Honda, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Fernando Torres playing in person.

In the past, players such as Nigel de Jong, Rafael van der Vaart, Ronaldinho, David Beckham and Alexandre Pato have participated in Dubai.


Players to watch:


Cristiano Ronaldo – Obviously, the World Player of the Year and, arguably, biggest footballing star on the planet will be the big draw. Make sure you get to the match on time, though – last year in Doha, when Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid played a similar match, Ronaldo was subbed at half time, along with the rest of the first 11.


Stephan El Shaarawy – The Italian-Egyptian should have plenty of backing at The Sevens, and, as a player who has shifted in and out of the Milan starting line-up, may be one to see a larger chunk of minutes than most in Dubai with the feeling he has something to prove.


Isco – His recent run of form filling in for Gareth Bale had a few observers calling for a sale of the Welshman and the permanent installation of the Andalusian winger. With other subsequent injuries to James Rodriguez and Luka Modric, the 22 year old has proven himself as one of Madrid’s most exciting young talents.


Keisuke Honda – The Japanese playmaker offers flair and creativity and will likely have more freedom to try something experimental and amazing in a game like this than he normally would have. Who knows if AC Milan will behave anything like PSG did last year in Doha, but in that game the Ligue 1 champions left in the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and Thiago Motta well past half time, and Honda could prove a similar example.


Javier Hernandez – The former Manchester United striker has a knack for scoring as a sub, as he did twice in a La Liga match against Deportivo La Coruna in September after the 76th minute and against his current team with United in a tour match in the US in early August after the 61st minute. With the stakes not especially high, he could offer as much entertainment value in Dubai as anyone.

Any other angles?

The match-up is a meeting of the club’s with the most (Real Madrid, 10) and second-most (AC Milan, 7) European Cup titles. AC Milan’s first-year manager, Filippo Inzaghi, will match up against his former boss at Milan, Carlo Ancelotti, for the first time. There’s also a very good chance fans will get a look at Milan’s 16-year-old first-team wonderkid, Moroccan-born Hachim Mastour