The two biggest stars in football Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo broke the internet with a photo on Saturday, November 19.
The picture that featured both iconic players was an advert for the French luxury fashion house and company Louis Vuitton.
The photo has gained over 50 million likes combined on their official Instagram accounts sparking the conversation as to who is the greatest football player in this era.
Along with the photo was a message that said, "Victory is a State of Mind. A long tradition of crafting trunks photographed by @annieleibovitz for @louisvuitton."
Ronaldo and Messi photo explained
Ronaldo and Messi have been rivals for decades. The Argentine finished second to Ronaldo at the 2008 Ballon d'Or award and the next year both players met in the Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona in Rome.
After Messi's triumph, Ronaldo moved to Barcelona's arch-rivals Real Madrid. They became the key attraction to football games and heightened the intensity of El-Clasico as fans from both sides insisted their favorite is the best.
The decision to bring Ronaldo and Messi together for an advert is genius however it has sparked a curious conversation as to why they were engaged in a game of chess.
According to several sources, the chess position adopted in the photo of Ronaldo and Messi was derived from Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura's draw in 2017.
Ever since the battle in Rome between Manchester United and Barcelona, Ronaldo and Messi are yet to meet in the final of the Champions League or World Cup.
According to several predictions, should Portugal and Argentina both top their respective group they will have a chance to meet on the biggest stage of football.
A day before the start of the tournament, Ronaldo, and Messi opted to post a picture collaborating with Louis Vuitton.
Louis Vuitton bag for World Cup
The Louis Vuitton bag which holds the chess pieces is a replica of that used to present the World Cup trophy at the 2018 edition in Russia.
It is now being suggested the bag is a metaphor for holding the trophy while the chess board shows Ronaldo and Messi making moves for their teams to advance to the final.
After a 5-0 victory against the United Arab Emirates, Messi will lead Argentina against Saudi Arabia in their opening group game scheduled for Tuesday, November 22.
Ronaldo and Portugal recorded a comfortable 4-0 win against the Super Eagles of Nigeria and will begin their campaign against Ghana on Thursday, November 24, 2022.