Inter Miami: The much-anticipated clash between football’s greatest rivals, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, failed to materialize on Thursday as Ronaldo, nursing a calf injury, observed from the stands, while Messi made a late substitute appearance during Al Nassr’s 6-0 thrashing of Inter Miami in the Riyadh Season Cup.
Ronaldo’s absence was confirmed by Al Nassr’s head coach Luís Castro on Wednesday due to a calf injury. In a surprising turn of events, Messi, who was initially absent from the starting lineup, later joined the bench amidst reports of an injury precaution.
Confusion prevailed before kickoff when Inter Miami’s initial tweet on the lineup excluded Messi, only to be deleted, and a corrected sheet with Messi on the bench was shared later. Fans in Riyadh had to wait until the 83rd minute to witness Messi in action, with Miami already trailing 6-0.
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Al Nassr’s Brazilian player, Anderson Talisca, stole the show with a hat trick, while former Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte scored a remarkable goal from inside his half. Otavio and Mohammed Maran contributed to the rout with additional goals.
The Kingdom Arena in Riyadh hosted the game, billed as the final club meeting between Messi and Ronaldo, who had dominated European football for a decade during their stints with Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Despite the limited on-field rivalry, the historical records show that Messi and Ronaldo have faced each other 36 times for club and country. Messi’s teams have emerged victorious in 16 encounters, Ronaldo’s in 11, with 9 matches ending in draws. Messi boasts 22 goals and 11 assists, while Ronaldo has 21 goals and one assist in these matchups.
From the stands, Ronaldo, winner of five Ballon d’Or awards to Messi’s eight, witnessed the onslaught of Al Nassr’s goals.
Al Nassr during the Saudi Pro League midseason break, had originally planned fixtures in China, but Ronaldo’s public apology on January 23 led to the postponement of their tour. Inter Miami, continuing their preseason tour, will face a Hong Kong XI on February 4 after a 4-3 defeat to Al Hilal on Monday.
