Cristiano Ronaldo will be absent from the long-awaited reunion with Lionel Messi due to injury, confirmed Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro on Wednesday.
Recovering from a reported calf injury, Ronaldo will not be ready to participate in the Al-Nassr vs. Inter Miami exhibition match in Riyadh on Thursday.
"Cristiano is in the final stage of his recuperation before re-joining the team. We expect that in the next few days, he will start working with the team. So, obviously, it will mean he is absent for the game (against Inter Miami),” Castro said at a news conference.
Messi and Ronaldo were longtime rivals when they played in Spain - for Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively - and have combined to win 13 of the last 15 Ballon d'Or awards given to the world's best player.
The latest installment of that rivalry was seen as the highlight of Miami's pre-season tour, which included two games in Saudi Arabia.
But that was put in doubt when Ronaldo suffered an injury that prompted Al-Nassr to postpone two exhibition matches in China this month.
Messi scored in Miami's 4-3 defeat to Al-Hilal on Monday.
