Virat Kohli and Khabib Nurmagomedov were among the sporting greats who reacted to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s iconic Instagram photo.
Arguably football’s greatest two players of all time were sat across from one and other playing a game of chess in an advert for Louis Vuitton.
With 12 Ballon d’Or’s, nine Champions League trophies and over 1600 goals between them, Messi and Ronaldo have been at the top of the football mountain for over 15 years.
But with Ronaldo turning 38 in February and Messi turning 36 in June, this winter’s World Cup in Qatar is probably the last chance for them to get their hands on the biggest trophy in sport, which has so far eluded the duo.
Heading into the showpiece in the Middle East, the pair come into the tournament with a gulf of contrast in form.
Ronaldo’s build up to the tournament has been dominated by his two-part interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV, which seemingly looks set to bring to an end his second stint with Manchester United.
The Red Devils number seven, who has been in and out of Erik ten Hag’s starting XI this season, has only scored three goals during the 2022-23 campaign.
Whereas after a difficult first season in the French capital, Messi is back to his formidable best with Paris Saint Germain and has 12 goals as well as 14 assists from 19 games across all competitions this season.
With Argentina and Portugal drawn either side of the World Cup draw, a potential final showdown between Messi and Ronaldo could be on the cards.
Messi came agonisingly close to doing what the late Diego Maradona managed and win the World Cup in 2014, but Mario Gotze’s strike in extra-time won it for the Germans.
The furthest Ronaldo has got in the competition is the semi-finals, but he does have one more World Cup goal than his great rival.
Virat Kohli and Khabib Nurmagomedov react to iconic Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi photo
Saying the iconic photo of Messi and Ronaldo went viral doesn’t do the legends justice – it effectively broke the internet and sent the sporting world into an emotional meltdown.
Among the sporting stars to pay homage to the two all-time greats was cricket legend Virat Kohli and retired former UFC icon Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Indian cricket captain Kohli commented on the post: ‘What a picture’.
Whereras Nurmagomedov wrote: ‘Epic picture’.
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