Ronaldo Ruled Out Of Al Nassr Friendly Against Messi's Inter Miami

February 01, (THEWILL) – Cristiano Ronaldo will not feature in the exhibition match between his club, Al Nassr and Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on Thursday, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The much anticipated match was set to see the two long time rivals and multiple Ballon d’Or winners share a pitch for the first time since their storied days playing for Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.

However, Al Nassr head coach, Luis Castro, confirmed that the 38-year-old Ronaldo is still recovering from injury and will not participate. “Ronaldo is in the final part of his recovery to join the group. We hope that in the next few days, he can start working with the team,” Castro stated in a press conference on Wednesday.

Ronaldo and Messi have faced each other 36 times previously in their careers, developing one of football’s most legendary individual rivalries. Al Nassr cancelled a recent tour to China designed specifically for Ronaldo’s fans due to his fitness issues. The Saudi Pro League leaders are on a mid-season break and had lined up several exhibition matches to stay sharp.

Similarly, Inter Miami are midway through their preseason schedule which has included a stop in Saudi Arabia. They lost 4-3 to Al Hilal on Monday in their first match in Riyadh. After facing Al Nassr, Inter Miami will conclude their tour against sides in Hong Kong, Japan and Argentina before opening their MLS campaign on February 22.

Ronaldo’s absence will come as a disappointment to fans eagerly awaiting his latest on-pitch meeting with Messi. However, with the playing days of both stars hopefully not coming to an end soon, more historic Ronaldo-Messi showdowns could be on the horizon.

Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.