“Faking an injury to dodge Messi in a friendly” - Fans react as Cristiano Ronaldo is officially ruled out of Inter Miami clash

Fans took to X to criticise Cristiano Ronaldo after he was ruled out of Al-Nassr's upcoming clash against Lionel Messi's Inter Miami. The two teams were set to go against each other in the Riyadh Season Cup, a pre-season friendly tournament.

The Portuguese superstar suffered a calf injury last week that put his status for the game in question. However, manager Luis Castro announced that he would not be suiting up, saying (via AlbicelesteTalk on X):

"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."

One fan suggested that the 38-year-old faked the injury to not face the Argentine superstar, saying:

"Faking an injury to dodge Messi in a friendly. Ronaldo fans were hyping this game for months like it was Cristianos World Cup final"

Here are some fan reactions:

Messi's side have not enjoyed a good start to their pre-season campaign, failing to win any of their first three games. They began with a 0-0 draw to El Salvador before losing to MLS side FC Dallas. In their first game of the Riyadh Season Cup against Al-Hilal, they lost 4-3 as well.

Al-Nassr, meanwhile, originally had a tour to China scheduled, which was eventually postponed due to Ronaldo's injury. Following the fixture against Inter Miami on February 1, they will face Al-Hilal on February 8.

---

Angel di Maria urges Manchester United star to emulate Lionel Messi instead of Cristiano Ronaldo

Garnacho has had the opportunity to play alongside both the footballing icons.

Argentina star Angel di Maria advised Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho to stop imitating Cristiano Ronaldo and instead follow Lionel Messi. The Benfica midfielder spoke about the youngster commonly mimicking the Portuguese superstar's goal celebration, saying (via The CR7 Timeline on Twitter):

"If I were Garnacho, the only thing I wouldn't do is celebrate like Cristiano Ronaldo. I would do like Messi does."

Both Di Maria and Garnacho have had the unique privilege of playing alongside both the superstars. Di Maria linked up with the Al-Nassr man at Real Madrid, while Garnacho played alongside him during his second United stint. They have played with Messi for the national side.

The 19-year-old has hit Ronaldo's 'Siuu' celebration multiple times, notably doing it after scoring a splendid bicycle kick goal against Everton. He has previously received criticism for doing so as well, with Arturo Vidal calling him out back in November over the same goal.