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Fans have reacted to Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo left out of the squad to face Lionel Messi's Inter Miami in a friendly in Riyadh on Thursday (February 1).
Ronaldo, 38, has been out injured for a while and only recently returned to first-team training, raising hopes of his appearance against the Herons. However, the Portugal captain is missing in the announced lineup to take on the visiting MLS side.
It's pertinent to note that Ronaldo's injury-enforced absence forced the postponement of Al-Alami's two friendlies in China a week ago. He seemed to have made progress ahead of the much-awaited reunion with Messi but eventually didn't.
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Fans, obviously, are disappointing not to see the Al-Nassr captain start against Inter Miami, with one tweeting:
"So finally Ronaldo is not playing. Messi team is winning by 6:1"
Another chimed in:
"Oh my God day ruined"
Here's a look at the top reactions on X:
Ronaldo was in sparkling form in 2023, top-scoring for club and country with 54 goals, two ahead of Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane and PSG hitman Kylian Mbappe. Manchester City striker Erling Haaland finished the year with 50 strikes.
What did Al-Nassr manager say about Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Lionel Messi's Inter Miami clash?
Al-Nassr boss Luis Castro shared his thoughts about his captain Cristiano Ronaldo missing the much-awaited friendly clash with Lionel Messi's Inter Miami in the Saudi Arabian capital.
Castro rued that the world won't see the latest Messi vs Ronaldo matchup, as the Portuguese wasn't fit enough to feature in the game. The manager hinted that Ronaldo should be fit in a few days, elaborating (India Today):
"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 he can start working with the team. He will be absent from the game," said Castro.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, widely regarded as two of the game's greatest players, are still going strong despite being on the wrong side of 30. Both have scored over 800 goals for club and country following a rivalry that has arguably transcended the game.
