- Lionel Messi is reportedly unlikely to feature in the friendly against Al-Nassr
- It comes after Cristiano Ronaldo was ruled out of the match due to a calf problem
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Lionel Messi will start Inter Miami’s friendly against Al-Nassr on the bench and is unlikely to play as a precaution after having an MRI scan.
It comes after his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo was ruled out of Wednesday’s friendly in Saudi Arabia.
According to the first reports, Messi would not be suitable but the Miami Herald claims he will take a seat on the bench even if he doesn’t.
It is claimed that Messi felt ‘discomfort’ after playing Al-Hilal and had a scan done. He is expected to play at some point during the rest of the tour.
Billed as possibly the last time Messi and Ronaldo would play against each other, it is now likely that neither will feature.
Ronaldo continues to recover from a calf problem. His injury forced his Saudi Arabian club to cancel two friendly matches in China last week.
Lionel Messi has been ruled out of Inter Miami’s friendly against Al-Nassr due to an injury
Fans are hoping to catch a glimpse of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, even if they are unlikely to play
Messi and Ronaldo faced off in Saudi Arabia a year ago when PSG faced a Riyadh All-Star XI, but at 36 and 38 respectively they are in the twilight of their careers.
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.
Any injury to Messi will lead to more question marks over the need for them to embark on such a tough pre-season tour.
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.
Ronaldo and Messi last faced off on January 19, 2023, when PSG played a Riyadh All-Star team
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.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, 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.’