Tonight is the highly anticipated Riyadh Season Cup match between Inter Miami and Al Nassr! More than the match, fans were eager to see the promising sight of the ‘Last Dance’, featuring Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the party has been spoiled at the eleventh hour after a list surfaced of players that will be missing the much-anticipated fixture. Not just CR7, but even Sadio Mane and 6 additional stars won’t be able to face Inter Miami.

The past few weeks have been keeping fans in the dark over the availability of Cristiano Ronaldo for the Riyadh Season Cup. Until now, the Knights of the Najd themselves did the job. While Ronaldo misses the reunion with Messi due to his calf injury, Sadio Mane is on his official break. The winger is on vacation after attending his international duty with Senegal for the ongoing AFCON. However, his side endured a premature exit in the RO16 at the hands of Ivory Coast on penalties.

As far as the remaining six players are concerned, backup goalkeeper Raghed Al-Najjar and center-back Ali Lajami won’t be available for defensive selection. Midfielder pair Sami Al-Najei and Abdullah Al-Khaibari, and winger duo Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Ayman Yahya, are also ruled out to face David Beckham‘s soccer franchise. Certainly, no one had expected the list of absentees to be this long. Either way, it is a huge blow for Luis Castro, who won’t be able to select the aforementioned stars.

Hence, with all such stars absent from tonight’s fixture, one question that everyone is eager to know is: who will fill in Ronaldo’s shoes? 

Who will be Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement for against Inter Miami? 

With Cristiano Ronaldo and other stars absent, Luis Castro would still be looking to put his best team forward. The first candidate who can replace Ronaldo tonight is Mohammed Maran. Out of 6 appearances, the 22-year-old has managed to net a goal. The second candidate is Meshari Al-Nemer, who has made 4 outings for the Riyadh side and is yet to score.

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Notably, in the absence of wingers like Mane, Ghareeb, and Yayah, Castro won’t have any other choice but to look at his fringe players. Already, there is a lot of pressure on Castro and Co. to win the match. Likewise, Inter Miami is prepared to take advantage of the players missing from Al Nassr at the same time, hoping to make the most of the situation.

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