No Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Al Nassr vs Inter Miami will not see the iconic clash

The much-anticipated Ronaldo vs Messi battle that was set to give the fans what they yearned for so long has been cancelled. The so-called final fight between the debatable GOATs is off, as Ronaldo will not feature in Thursday's pre-season encounter between Al-Nassr and Inter Miami. Al-Nassr's coach has intimated about the Portuguese star's unavailability.

3 things you need to know

• Al-Nassr vs Inter Miami will take place on January 31, 2024
• The match will be held at Kingdom Arena
• The contest was highlighted as Ronaldo vs Messi: One Final Time

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Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Clash cancelled

February 1, 2024, is the date that football fans all over the world were looking forward to. However, as the day has finally arrived, the most exciting factor about the date has suddenly vanished. On the day, Al-Nassr and Inter Miami will clash at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia. But the behemoths of the contest- Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi- who were expected to have one "final dance" against each other, will not have a face-to-face. The iconic battle has been scrapped owing to Ronaldo's recovery from injury.

Ahead of the Riyadh Cup match, Al-Nassr head coach, Luis Castro, has provided an update to Goal.com. His statement bears bad news for the entire football community.

"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.

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The Iconic rivalry to continue

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had an iconic rivalry during their days in the La Liga. The El Clasico was always lit up, with the possibility of both of them getting on the score sheet. Moreover, which GOAT would get the better of the adversary, was always a subject of intrigue. However, since Cristiano Ronaldo departed from Real Madrid in 2018, the battle has come to a halt. The two are still the revered personalities of the sport, hence, the February 1, fixture was observed with keen eyes. Nevertheless, another match-up may arrive again. The optimists could see this update as a deferral rather than a possible end of the Messi vs Ronaldo tie.