Cristiano Ronaldo will be missing in action for Al Nassr when they play Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on Thursday due to a calf injury.
“Cristiano is in the final part of his recovery to join the group,” Al Nassr coach Luís Castro said in a Wednesday news conference
“We expect that he can begin to work with the team in the next few days. He will be an element that will be absent from the game.”
The game, set to be hosted at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, had been billed as the final club meeting of the two stars who dominated European football for a decade, most notably during their concurrent spells with Real Madrid and Barcelona.
The encounter was highly anticipated the world over as it pitted two of the generation’s biggest stars, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, against each other.
Messi and Inter Miami were beaten 4-3 by Saudi Pro League leaders Al Hilal on Monday.
Al Nassr are seven points behind Al Hilal in second place, and they haven’t played since Dec. 30 owing to the SPL’s break and the country hosting the Asian Cup.
Ronaldo moved to the Saudi Pro League following a fallout with former club Manchester United before the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
His move to the Saudi Pro League prompted a slew of household football names to join the ambitious Middle-Eastern nation’s initiative, including Karim Benzema, N’golo Kante, and Roberto Firmino.
Ronaldo leads the Saudi Pro League goal-scoring rankings with 20 goals this season.