31 January 2024 , 20:50
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Cristiano Ronaldo has been denied his 'last dance' with Lionel Messi after being ruled out of Al-Nassr's upcoming friendly with Inter Miami.
The Saudi-Arabian side play MLS franchise Inter Miami on Thursday in the Riyadh Season Cup, a three-team exhibition tournament that also includes Al-Hilal. With Ronaldo Al-Nassr's star striker and Messi at the MLS side, Thursday's game was billed as the main event with two of the greatest to ever play the game clashing once again.
Ronaldo and Messi last met on the field when Paris Saint-Germain won 5-4 against the Saudi All-Star XI last year. Both players scored in the game with Ronaldo netting a brace. But just 24 hours before their anticipated reunion was set to begin for 2024, the Portuguese star was withdrawn from the matchday squad.
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The Al-Nassr striker has a calf injury, head coach Luis Castro confirmed Wednesday. "Cristiano is in the final part of his recovery to join the group. We expect that he can begin to work with the team in the next few days. He will be an element that will be absent from the game."
It's a major blow for Saudi, although they'll still be able to showcase one of their best teams against a star-studded Miami side. Former Barcelona striker Luis Suarez signed for Miami ahead of the 2024 MLS season, adding to their Catalan reunion with Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba also at the club.
It was while in La Liga that the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry really took shape, with Real Madrid and Barcelona constantly competing for Spanish silverware and even European dominance. Ronaldo and Messi also dominated the individual awards, going head-to-head for the greatest honours. Miami are currently in pre-season, with the MLS campaign starting on February 21. They're without a win in three friendly matches so far, drawing 0-0 against El Salvador, losing 1-0 to FC Dallas, and losing 4-3 to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia on Monday.
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Messi and Miami are yet to win in pre-season despite unleashing Luis Suarez (Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)Ronaldo is yet to play in 2023, due to the Saudi Pro League taking a winter break and also hosting the Asian Cup. Although Ronaldo is absent, Al-Nassr still boast a talented squad, with many of their new stars arriving last summer.
Sadio Mane, Aymeric Laporte, Marcelo Brozovic, and Alex Telles are all on the books at the Saudi club, but their main goal threat will be sidelined. Ronaldo has scored 20 goals in 18 league games this season, and another three goals in five AFC Champions League appearances.
Al-Nassr are currently second to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League and trail the leaders by seven points, and their priority is to get Ronaldo fit in time for February 25, when their next league fixture is scheduled against Al-Shabab. Al-Hilal are the only team that remains unbeaten in the Saudi League, reaping the rewards of signing Neymar, Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Aleksandr Mitrovic.