‘The rivalry is over‘, Cristiano Ronaldo‘s comments in 2023 signified the end of a soccer era. Yet, the ‘Last Dance’ offered fans one final opportunity to watch the two titans clash again. However, fate interfered in a cruel way. CR7 couldn’t recover in time from his calf injury while Lionel Messi was unexpectedly benched. However, the Inter Miami captain has just opened up on what limited his much anticipated ‘Last Dance’ to just 7 minutes!

Speaking to Japanese outlet Sakanowa, Lionel Messi talked about his absence from the matches against Al Nassr and Hong Kong XI. He said, “In the first game in Saudi Arabia, I felt an injury in my adductor and that’s why I was subbed out. I played in the next game to try to see how it felt because they did an MRI and they told me I had swelling, but I didn’t have an injury.” In Inter Miami’s first match against Al Hilal, he played for 87 minutes. It seems this was the match where he picked up the trailing injury.

Yet, despite his injury, the soccer icon graced the match against Al Nassr by coming on for the last 7 minutes. As per reports, this was due to contractual obligation with the match organizers. CR7 too was on the bench, but unlike Messi, he didn’t feature at all.

Having faced each other 36 times, it would have been the 37th encounter between two of soccer’s finest. However, fans need not be disappointed as the recent ‘Last Dance’ necessarily wasn’t the final match between the iconic duo.

Explained: 2 reasons why Lionel Messi might meet Cristiano Ronaldo again

The most recent Inter Miami vs Al Nassr clash might not have been the final encounter between Messi and Ronaldo. The first compelling reason is the FIFA Club World Cup. Al Nassr plays in the AFC Champions League, while Lionel Messi & Inter Miami are set to feature in the CONCACAF Champions League. Provided both the teams win their respective tournaments, they will qualify for the FIFA CWC. Depending on the draw, we could have another ‘Last Dance’ with much higher stakes!

Read More: Saudi Chief on Lionel Messi Getting Benched: “He was Afraid of Losing Against Al Nassr Without Cristiano Ronaldo”

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The more likely reason is potential contract extensions. Lionel Messi & CR7’s current contracts expire in 2025. However, they are still by some distance, the best players on their respective teams. Hence, it is possible that they could be in line for new contracts, which could pave the way for such matches in the future. After all, tickets for the ‘Last Dance’ went up to a staggering $11000.

Are you interested in the prospect of watching another Messi-Ronaldo clash? Have your say in the comments below.

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