Is Cristiano Ronaldo fit for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami clash in Riyadh Season Cup 2024?
- Inter Miami head to Saudi Arabia as part of their Asian tour
- Al Nassr have cancelled matches in China due to Ronaldo's injury
- Portuguese forward was expected to reunite with Lionel Messi for 'The Last Dance'
By Euan Burns
Their careers may be drawing to a conclusion, but matches featuring Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo still garner incredible global attention. Therefore, the prospect of them facing each another again is mouth-watering to some football fans.
The two incredible footballers lined up against one another during their days at Barcelona and Real Madrid and produced some unforgettable games and moments, but the pair now play on separate continents and are unlikely to square off in a competitive fixture ever again.
With the way modern football is, though, you can never rule out two teams from separate sides of the world facing off in a friendly, so perhaps Inter Miami taking on Al Nassr in the Riyadh Season Cup 2024 is something we should have all seen coming.
A major question mark hangs over this 'last dance', however, and that is Ronaldo's fitness.
When do Inter Miami face Al Nassr in the Riyadh Season Cup 2024?
Inter Miami's season came to an end on 21 October 2023 with a 1-0 defeat away at Charlotte. Since then, the Florida side have enjoyed a break, playing a handful of friendlies - one of which came against New York City before the end of the calendar year.
They have also faced the El Salvador national team in a game that ended 0-0 and lost 1-0 away at FC Dallas, not the greatest preparations for their Riyadh Season Cup opener against Saudi side Al Hilal.
Messi did manage to get his name on the scoresheet against Al Hilal, as did new signing Luis Suarez, but the Major League Soccer side fell to a 4-3 defeat.
The clash with Ronaldo's Al Nassr is set to be played on Thursday 1 February at 18:00 GMT.
Will Cristiano Ronaldo be fit to face Lionel Messi and Inter Miami?
The Saudi Pro League is still ongoing and Al Nassr sit in second place, seven points behind Al Hilal. Teams don't play again until mid-February, but players haven't enjoyed much of a break despite the pause in league action.
Al Nassr were due in China to face Shanghai Shenhua and then Zhejiang and thousands of fans packed out the airport where the team was landing to catch a glimpse of Ronaldo. However, it was soon revealed the former Manchester United forward has an injury and would not be able to play.
Al Nassr cancelled their trip and returned to Riyadh, with the tour expected to be rescheduled for a later date.
It was hoped that Ronaldo would return in time for a reunion against old adversary Messi, but it's been announced that the Portuguese will miss the Riyadh Season Cup through injury - a bitterly disappointing development for those excited about the two superstars facing off once more.
Speaking ahead of the match, Al Nassr manager Luis Castro confirmed the news, stating: "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."
It looks as if there won't be one final blockbuster battle between the two record Ballon d'Or winners, who may have locked horns for the final time.
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