Al Nassr crushed Inter Miami 6-0 as injury ruled Cristiano Ronaldo out of a much-hyped showdown with Lionel Messi, who was limited to a late substitute appearance in Thursday's friendly in Riyadh.

Luis Castro, Cristiano Ronaldo’s coach at Al Nassr, thanked the fans from Bangladesh for their “dedication and loyalty” towards the Saudi Pro League outfit. 

Argentina forward Angel Di Maria has snubbed five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo in his best eleven of players he has played with throughout his career when he named the lineup in an interview with TYC Sports yesterday. 

Clubs worldwide spent a record $9.63 billion on international transfers in 2023, an increase of nearly 50% compared to 2022, world soccer's governing body FIFA said in its Global Transfer Report published on Tuesday.

The 38-year-old Ronaldo apologised to fans as he confirmed he was struggling with a fitness issue.

"For me, today is a sad day," Ronaldo told a Tuesday evening press conference, during which he apologised to Chinese fans.

Al Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo said he ‘no longer believed’ in two of football’s greatest individual accolades after he won three awards at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai on Friday.

About to turn 39 in two weeks’ time, Cristiano Ronaldo said that he was proud to be able to beat the likes of Erling Haaland in terms of goals scored in the previous year.

Cristiano Ronaldo insisted Friday that the often derided Saudi Pro League was "more competitive" than French Ligue 1.

French forward Karim Benzema has returned to Saudi Arabia 17 days after he was supposed to check back in with his club Al-Ittihad, a source close to the club told AFP on Friday.

Saudi Arabia hope that the influx of foreign stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar into their club football will help the national team win their first Asian Cup in 28 years.

Chinese football fans raced on Wednesday to snap up tickets to see Cristiano Ronaldo play a rare match in their home country, with multiple online platforms selling out within a few hours.

He will turn 39 next February. Approaching an age even long before which athletes are removed from their peak, Cristiano Ronaldo does not seem to be stopping any time soon.

"Great victory and I'm thrilled to announce my 50th goal in 2023," the 38-year-old Portuguese wrote on Instagram

Former England goalkeeper Shilton is acknowledged as the record holder for the most competitive men's professional games, though the total is disputed. Some statistics websites say the tally is 1,390 but Shilton himself, on his X feed, gives it as 1,387.

Nassr ended the group stage unbeaten, with four victories and two draws.

Ronaldo leapt to his feet and approached the referee, wagging his finger, shaking his head and telling him there had been no foul.

Cristiano Ronaldo has still got it.

Inter Miami says it has not agreed to compete in Saudi Arabia next February, refuting the claims by a promoter announced earlier Tuesday that the MLS team would face two Saudi clubs.

Inter Miami was named the guest international side and will join Al-Hilal and Al Nassr in next February's Riyadh Season Cup.