Two soccer greats who have shared the highest stage of international football for over 15 years now are set to play another World Cup, which possibly might be their last one.
Before their last dance, they collaborated and created an iconic frame.
I saw a joke online; all boys around the world were putting the iconic picture of Messi and Ronaldo playing chess together on top of a briefcase on their statuses or profile pictures.
When that photo dropped, the world was at a standstill. I saw it on Cristiano’s Twitter 20 minutes after it was posted and it had already amassed nearly 200,000 likes.
But what does this iconic picture of the two soccer GOATS mean?
Just to clarify, the photograph was shot by Anne Leibovitz for Louis Vuitton and it was actually photoshopped. I don’t mean it’s fake, but rather the two GOATS were not in the same room over a chess deck.
While there’s mutual; respect between the pair of them, we don’t often see Messi and Ronaldo together unless it’s on the pitch or during award ceremonies.
Messi and Ronaldo did separate interviews for fashion giants LV until the two pictures were merged together.
Meaning of the photo
There is always a rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo’s fans, but the picture certainly cements the fact that both of them share the halo of greatness.
Both Messi & Ronaldo who represent Argentina & Portugal are playing their fifth soccer World Cup and this might be the end of the road for them. Messi has always been hailed as someone who was born into soccer.
On the other hand, it is Cristiano Ronaldo, who through his sheer hard work and labor has transformed himself into a mean machine.
READ: 10 Facts you didn’t know about the World Cup Trophy
Recently in an interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo, the Portugal great said that he doesn’t see himself playing another World Cup.
In his explosive interview, Ronaldo also shared his opinions on Messi. He said, “Amazing player. He’s magic, top…As a person, we share the same stage for 16 years, imagine, 16 years we share. So I have a great relationship with him. I’m not a 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.”
“He’s a guy that I really respect the way he speaks of about me. Even his wife or my wife, they always respect and they’re from Argentina…What am I going to say about Messi? A great guy who does great things for football.” he added.
Messi and Ronaldo posted the photo at the same time, sharing the caption ‘Victory is a state of mind’ albeit acknowledging that the photo is a paid partnership.
In the picture, we can see a Louis Vuitton briefcase, on which a chessboard is stationed. The two GOATS are visibly hooked to the game, with each having two pieces taken off the board.
This chess position we see came from a real chess match that dates back to 2017 between world champion Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura. What’s fascinating is that the game ended in a draw.
This is symbolic of the fact that it cements Messi and Ronaldo as both equal greats of the game. This is their fifth world cup and they are yet to kiss the trophy.
That briefcase was used to hold the World Cup trophy in 2018 in Russia. From it, the trophy was presented during the opening and closing ceremony in 2018.
A few moves later the game would finish as a draw. However, for that to happen, Messi would need to make the next move for it to be a draw. If Ronaldo is making the next move, it’s an eventual win for him.
Over the years, both Messi & Ronaldo have earned numerous accolades. They certainly don’t chase records, but leave no stone unturned to outplay each other.
Both Messi and Ronaldo, in their capacity have accepted the fact that they are humbled to share the stage on the highest level and every time they speak about each other, it is only mutual respect.
The soccer greats with time have redefined the El Clásico rivalry which features both Real Madrid & Barcelona FC. Though Messi has moved to Paris Saint German (PSG) and Ronaldo to Manchester United (ManU), but whenever El Clásico is mentioned, they become a topic of debate.
Both Messi & Ronaldo will look forward to the ongoing World Cup and want to lift the trophy. Certainly, victory is a state of mind, isn’t it?
