• 6-0 win for Riyadh club could not mask disappointment at Ronaldo’s absence, Messi’s participation only in closing minutes

Arab News

Tantalizingly dubbed “The Last Dance,” the highly anticipated clash between Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami left many Saudi fans of the two great rivals — some whom paid up to $11,000 for tickets — underwhelmed despite a comprehensive 6-0 win for the Riyadh club.

While local fans will no doubt have enjoyed the victory as their team prepare to get back into Roshn Saudi League action, there was an inescapable feeling of disappointment after Ronaldo missed the match through injury, while Messi only took part in the closing minutes after initial reports that he had been excluded from the Major League Soccer team’s match-day squad.

Al-Nassr’s goals came from a hat-trick by Anderson Talisca and strikes by Otavio, Aymeric Laporte and Mohammed Marran, as Ronaldo was caught on camera celebrating and smiling to himself in the stands.

On social media, many fans voiced their displeasure at the absence of the two star attractions, some wondering if the Argentine World Cup winner was intentionally held back by his club.

“Was Messi prevented from participating with his team except for three minutes? Question in good faith,” one commenter on X speculated.

Another responded: “Maybe he was told that as long as Ronaldo doesn’t play, you won’t have to play until the end.”

One Al-Hilal supporter said Messi’s absence showed a “lack of respect for the fans.”

Another Al-Hilal fan gloated that while his team had beaten a strong Inter Miami 4-3 in the American team’s first outing in Saudi Arabia, Al-Nassr were left celebrating a win against “the reserves.”

An angry fan summed up the feeling of many with a post stating: “Frankly, it’s a prank to announce with posters that Messi and Ronaldo will be playing, but in the end, after reservations, expenses, and vacation time, we get a second-tier match with teams without stars.”