AL-NASSR
Why isn’t Cristiano Ronaldo playing in the friendly match between Al-Nassr and Messi’s Inter Miami?
Saudi fans hoping to see a famous rematch between CR7 and Lionel Messi will be left disappointed after the former Real Madrid star was ruled out.
Their dominance defined soccer for a decade. During their time in Spain Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi pushed the sport to new heights, racking up a wealth of personal achievements to go with their ever-growing trpohy cabinets.
They have moved on from their El Clasico rivalry now, with Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia and Messi making waves in MLS, but they were expected to face off once more in a friendly game on Friday. However those hopes were dashed after Al-Nassr manager Luis Castro confirmed that Ronaldo will miss out due to a muscle complaint.
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The Al-Nassr boss revealed: “We will not see [Messi vs Ronaldo], Ronaldo is in the final part of his recovery to join the group. We hope that in the next few days you can start working with the team. He will be absent from the game.”
What is Cristiano Ronaldo’s injury?
The friendly clash between Al-Nassr and Inter Miami was set for Thursday, February 1 and has been billed as the final meeting of two bona fide greats. However those hopes were left hanging in the balance after Al-Nassr were forced to delay a club tour of China due to a lingering calf injury to Ronaldo.
Ronaldo had begun his return to training this week, albeit on a reduced regime, raising hopes that he could make it for Friday’s fixture. But the 38-year-old’s complaint has not made the required recovery and CR7 will be forced to sit out the game. He has not missed any competitive fixtures in the Saudi Pro League, which is still on a mid-season break until the third week of February.