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Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been sidelined due to a calf injury and will require two weeks of rehabilitation to recover. Ronaldo probably got injured while training with his teammates and had mild muscle discomfort. Though the Portuguese international continued to practice for a long time, he was compelled to end the session early. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner visited the club’s clinic for two days.
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As per the reports, Ronaldo underwent treatment sessions and engaged in lighter practice sessions. The reports state that the injury will keep Ronaldo away from the football field for three games, including the highly-anticipated encounter against Inter Miami and the ‘last dance’ against arch-rival Lionel Messi. According to reports by Al-Riyadiya, Al-Nassr’s medical team informed manager Luis Castro about Ronaldo's calf injury, which affected his back foot also.
CR7 is expected to miss his club’s friendlies against Shanghai Shenhua on January 24 and Zhejiang on January 28 as well as a friendly against the Messi-featuring club Inter Miami at the Kingdom Arena on February 1. It is to be noted that the arch-rivals and football icons last clashed in the 2022 Riyadh Season Cup, where Messi, part of Paris Saint-Germain, faced Al Nassr and Al Hilal, and recorded a 5-4 victory against Ronaldo's side.
Talking about the 38-year-old’s performance in the 2023-2024 season, he has netted a total of 24 goals in 25 matches. In the Globe Soccer Awards that took place on January 19, in Dubai, Ronaldo was nominated in four different categories, including Best Men's Player 2023, Fans' Favourite Player of the Year, Best Middle East Player, and Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year.
