Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have appeared in their first collaborative commercial for the premium apparel company Louis Vuitton.
After dominating debates about who is the greatest footballer of all time, the two appear to have traded the football field for a checkered suitcase, playing a more cerebral game of chess.
While it is unknown who won the chess match, Messi took to Instagram to announce the sponsored collaboration, captioning his post: ‘Victory is a state of mind.’
Both are presently preparing for the World Cup in Qatar. Still, there are concerns about their health, particularly Lionel Messi’s, who exercises away from his squad.
Concerns over Ronaldo’s fitness have also surfaced, with the 37-year-old missing their warm-up match against Nigeria on Thursday due to a stomach virus.
Whether you support Ronaldo or Messi, both are two of the most decorated footballers of their time, with Ronaldo being the world’s top goalscorer, with 807 goals in his long career.
On the other hand, the Argentine genius is not far behind and leads the way with seven Ballon d’Ors to Ronaldo’s five.
While Ronaldo has more European cups, the former Barcelona great won more Spanish titles during his tenure in LaLiga.
While there is no conclusive answer to who the GOAT is, and we may never know who is the superior player, it is evident that both men have a lot of respect for each other and have given us some amazing clashes over the years.
Ronaldo shed an intriguing perspective on their connection during his heated interview with Piers Morgan, suggesting that Messi is “magic.”
He said: ‘Amazing player [Messi] is magic. As a person, we share the stage 16 years, imagine, 16 years. We share. So, I have great relationship with him.
‘I’m not friend of him in terms of, what I mean friend is the guy who was with you in your house, speaking on the phone, no, but it’s like a teammate.
With both in their mid-thirties, the 2017 World Cup might be the final time we see the great tandem in action, despite worries over the Argentinian’s fitness this week.
Fans will be hoping that the two will clash in Qatar, since there is a slight probability that Portugal and Argentina may meet if both reach the semi-finals.