Al-Nassr vs Inter Miami: After Cristiano Ronaldo Injury, Lionel Messi Named On Bench In Riyadh Season Cup Fixture

Al-Nassr vs Inter Miami: While Cristiano Ronaldo was ruled out due to an injury, Lionel Messi has been named on the bench in the Riyadh Season Cup club friendly.

Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Lionel Messi both missed out on the Al-Nassr vs Inter Miami Riyadh Season Cup fixture. ( Image Source :Getty )

Al-Nassr vs Inter Miami: While the Al-Nassr vs Inter Miami Riyadh Season Cup club-friendly was being looked upon as the famous 'last dance' of the famous Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi rivalry, as it turns out both the legends of the game are missing out from the fixture due to injuries. While the Saudi Arabian club's manager had confirmed on the eve of the match itself that Ronaldo will not play in this match, Messi too was not named in the team's starting 11.

Tonight’s Starting XI vs Al Nassr

1PM ET | 📺 #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV: https://t.co/bLZZiKUtPB pic.twitter.com/wODnoQnQiP

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) February 1, 2024

While Messi does find a name for himself in the list of substitutes that can be used in the match, it is unlikely that he will any role in the match with reports suggesting that Messi is struggling with a hamstring injury. 

Cristiano Ronaldo Out Due To Calf Injury 

Ronaldo misses out on this match as he has failed to recover in time from a calf injury.

"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," Ronaldo's boss in the cub Castro had said at a pre-match conference.

There was a lot of anticipation among the fans for this match with the two legends of the game coming face-to-face after a long time. With age catching up on both the Portugal and the Argentina international stars, this was perhaps the last time they could have squared off in a competitive fixture.

Ronaldo will turn 39 later this month while Messi will celebrate his 37th birthday in June. The two are widely regarded as among the greatest footballers ever to have played the game with their football careers running parallelly.