“I would like to be the player to checkmate Messi” – When Cristiano Ronaldo stressed on rivalry with Lionel Messi after epic photo shoot

Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo said that he'd like to be the one to 'checkmate' Lionel Messi following their epic photo shoot with Louis Vuitton.

In November, just before the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the 'big two' appeared in a portrait together sitting across from each other playing chess, but Messi and Ronaldo weren't actually together, as they had shot their portraits separately. However, both players shared the now iconic image on Instagram, with the posts garnering almost 76 million combined likes.

After the shoot, Ronaldo jokingly claimed in an interview with the luxury fashion brand that he'd like to be the one to 'checkmate' Messi, both in chess and on the football field. He said (via Sport):

"I’m very confident and optimistic that everything will go well. I would like to be the player to checkmate Messi; it happened in the chess game, and in football, it would be magic."

Days later, both players headed to Qatar for the World Cup, where Messi would reign supreme, guiding Argentina to their third title in the competition and first since 1986.

With seven goals and three assists, the 35-year-old picked up the Golden Ball award for the best player, while Ronaldo and Portugal were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Morocco. The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star netted just once in the tournament - a penalty against Ghana in their opening win.

Many feel the 'GOAT' debate has been settled after Messi's World Cup triumph, but the discourse continues with fans of each player continuing to back their star's case. That was something Ronaldo has predicted after the photo shoot:

“Even if I win the World Cup that debate will continue. Some people like me more; some people like me less, like in life; some like blondes, some like brunettes."

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Cristiano Ronaldo ends Al-Nassr scoring drought

Cristiano Ronaldo ended his three-game goal-drought to return to scoring ways for Al-Nassr last weekend in a 4-0 win over Al-Raed.

The Portuguese opened the floodgates in the fourth minute, turning home a soft header from close range. Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Mohammed Maran and Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem scored after the break.

Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't been consistent with his new team, though, which you'd expect from a player who's 38. Nevertheless, he has still managed 12 league goals, the most in the Saudi Pro League after only three players.