Two football giants and longtime rivals, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been made to sit together in a chess game ahead of the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup competition kick-off on Sunday.
The duo have been involved in what many describe as a fierce football rivalry. Ronaldo and Messi, however, have both taken to social media to post the same photo of themselves playing a Chess game on Saturday.
OsunDaily News understands that the duo were captured in a pensive mood with a branded suitcase chessboard.
The pose is understood to be part of an advertising campaign for a renowned French luxury fashion house and company.
Ronaldo and Messi both have the same caption in their Instagram post, OsunDaily News understands. The caption read: “Victory is a State of Mind. A long tradition of crafting trunks”.
Ronaldo will play for Spain in the World Cup, while Messi will play for Argentina as the most anticipated world football competition kick-off today, November 20, 2022, in Qatar.
Real Madrid forward, and French international, Karim Benzema will not play in the World Cup in Qatar, OsunDaily News reports.
Recall that the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner battled with a thigh injury which left him out of the 2-1 defeat against Cadiz.
The striker, however, missed out on Los Blancos’ 3–2 defeat by Rayo Vallecano, who was in the seventh position.
However, the French talisman returned to the treatment table following a short absence during Wednesday’s 5-1 triumph against Celtic in the Champions League.
Didier Deschamps chose the striker in his 26-man team to go to Qatar, which was a bold move. Although earlier reports indicated that the striker was improving his fitness, a subsequent report indicated that he would not play in France’s first match against Australia.
However, an addendum to this story states that Karim Benzema won’t be competing in the World Cup, according to the French Federation.
A tear in Benzema’s left quad muscle was discovered via scans. Benzema underwent tests at the Aspetar hospital with the help of Franck Le Gall, the team doctor for France.
