Ronaldo-Messi showdown in doubt after Al-Nassr postpone China tour
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr have canceled their two-match tour of China after the forward suffered an injury, the club said on Tuesday, raising concerns over the Portuguese’s participation in their upcoming match against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.
Al-Nassr was due to play Shanghai Shenhua on January 24 and Zhejiang four days later, with both matches now postponed.
“We are ready to complete our training camp as planned in Shenzhen, a city that has warmly welcomed us and shown so much love for us and our captain,” Al-Nassr said in a statement. “We have also agreed with the organizer to schedule a new competition as soon as possible.”
Ronaldo, 38, apologized to fans as he confirmed he was struggling with a fitness problem.
“I have been playing for 22 years and am a player who does not have too many injuries. So I am very sad because Al-Nassr and I came to China to enjoy the tour,” Ronaldo said. “We didn’t cancel the match, we want to push for the match and be back here… Unfortunately I have a problem, but this is part of football and my life.”
Ronaldo, who was in Dubai last week to receive three awards at the Globe Soccer Awards, was absent from Al-Nassr’s training at the beginning of this week, local media report.
Fans at Al-Nassr’s hotel in Shenzhen were angry about the postponement of the match less than 24 hours before kick-off. The competition organizers announced that they would issue full refunds to ticket holders.
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In November, Inter Miami’s tour to mainland China was canceled two weeks after the promoter’s announcement.
Al-Nassr’s next scheduled match will be against Messi’s Inter Miami in a friendly tournament in Riyadh on February 1. The two teams will also play Neymar’s Al-Hilal, the current leaders of the Saudi Pro League, in the Riyadh Season Cup.