Football: Ronaldo injured, no gala match against Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo will not have the opportunity to reunite with Lionel Messi due to injury, Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro said on Wednesday.

Ronaldo is recovering from a calf injury and will not be able to play in the gala match between Al-Nassr and Inter Miami in Riyadh on Thursday.

"Cristiano is in the final stages of his recovery before joining the team. We believe that he will start working with the team in the coming days. So it is obvious that he will be absent for the match (against Inter Miami) ,” Castro said at a press conference.

Messi and Ronaldo were long-time rivals when they played in Spain - for FC Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively - and together have won 13 of the last 15 Ballons d'Or awarded to the world's best player.

The final episode of this rivalry was considered the highlight of Miami's preseason tour, which included two matches in Saudi Arabia. But that prospect was thrown into doubt when Ronaldo suffered an injury, prompting Al-Nassr to postpone two gala matches in China this month.