Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will NOT face off in Al-Nassr- Inter Miami friendly, as Portuguese striker continues recovery from calf injury
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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will not share the pitch during the friendly match between Al-Nassr and Inter Miami as the Portuguese striker is still recovering from a calf injury.
Ronaldo’s injury forced his Saudi Arabian club to cancel two friendly matches in China last week.
And he will remain sidelined when Inter Miami play his club on Thursday, with Al-Nassr manager Luis Castro confirming the news.
“Ronaldo is in the final part of his recovery and is joining the group,” he told reporters. ‘We hope you can get started with the team in the coming days. He will be absent from the match.’
Messi and Ronaldo faced off in Saudi Arabia a year ago when PSG faced a Riyadh All-Star to play.
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil Van Dijk are seen during the 2019 Champions League draw
Ronaldo and Messi last faced off on January 19, 2023, when PSG played a Riyadh All-Star team
The Herons’ match against Al-Nassr will be their second pre-season test in Saudi Arabia as they lost 4-3 to Al-Hilal on Monday.
Ronaldo last week spoke about canceling Al-Nassr’s matches in China, claiming the club would be back in the country at a later date.
‘As you know, I have played 22 years in football and I am the player who does not have too many injuries. So I am really sad because Al Nassr and I are coming here to China to enjoy the tour,” he told reporters.
“So, as you can see, I’m sad. I know you are sad too, especially the people who love Cristiano. But we have to see this in a good way.
“If I say correctly, I mean we didn’t cancel the game. We’re going to postpone the match. We want to be back here, to your country. We’ll be back.’
Messi, 36, and Ronaldo, 38, play their football for Inter Miami and Al-Nassr respectively
For Miami, Thursday’s game will continue the club’s preseason fly over 23,000 miles as it gears up for the upcoming MLS season next month,
Miami has already played the El Salvador national team and FC Dallas, and will also face Hong Kong League XI and Vissel Kobe next week.
The club then returns to South Florida to play one final friendly match against Newell’s Old Boys, Messi’s boyhood club.
Miami, which recently signed Luis Suarez from a squad that already included Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, won the Leagues Cup last season but failed to qualify for the postseason.
Al-Nassr, meanwhile, is in second place in the Saudi Pro League.
Ronaldo leads the league with 20 goals.