Almost 20,000 tickets left for Messi v Ronaldo showdown at Old trafford

Tickets for the Old Trafford showdown between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo tonight will be on sale at the stadium until 30 minutes after the match kicks off, with just under 20,000 still to be sold as of lunchtime.

World Eleven, the management company which has been involved in organising the match, said that around 46,000 tickets had been sold as of this morning. It said the stadium capacity for this match was around the 65,000 mark, with a section of one of the stands closed.

The fact that so many tickets remain unsold for a clash between the two players widely regarded as the best in the world may surprise many, especially with Ronaldo returning to play at the ground he graced with such success between 2003 and 2009. The cheapest tickets still available cost £40.

Diego Rodriguez, a spokesman for World Eleven, defended the pricing and said it was in line with the market rate for a top Premier League game in England. He confirmed that the pricing would not alter for those buying tickets on the day, or even after the match has started.

He said: “We think a number of people will come on match day and buy their tickets directly at Old Trafford.

“I came to Manchester in September and I went to see three Premier League games to get information, and here the tickets are more or less between £40 and £80.

“England are playing Scotland so all of the press are focusing on that match. But here we will have Messi, Ronaldo, Aguero, Zabaleta, Caballero, Demichelis, Nani – it’s important, it will be a great game.”