Ronaldo-Messi Louis Vuitton ad: 3 reasons why it's iconic

Football fans across the world were treated to an iconic image, hours before the FIFA World Cup 2022 officially kicked off. The latest Louis Vuitton ad showcased football greats Portugal team captain Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina skipper Lionel Messi transfixed over a game of chess over a chequered briefcase.

It's not often that one gets to see two of football's greatest athletes come together unless it's for a game or for award ceremonies. Luxury brand Louis Vuitton made it happen with the ad titled: "Victory is a state of mind."

Victory is a State of Mind. @Cristiano and #LionelMessi captured by @annieleibovitz for @LouisVuitton. In addition to a long tradition of crafting trunks for the world’s most coveted sporting trophies, the Maison celebrates two of the most talented football players today. pic.twitter.com/AU9kPyI2wL

— Louis Vuitton (@LouisVuitton) November 19, 2022

The oft-warring Ronald and Messi factions came together in praise of this once-in-a-lifetime ad that is iconic for more reasons than one.

Famous rivalry

Ronaldo's and Messi's camps are often at loggerheads, arguing about who the better player is. There is a lot of healthy sporting rivalry between the two as the contemporaries are considered the best players of all time. Their equation can be comparable to those between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal or Mohammed Ali and Joe Frazier.

While there are whispers that the rivalry sometimes takes a personal tone, the two players have insisted that it's purely professional.

The fact that the two have teamed up for an ad after decades in the game is no small feat.

This year's tournament is also touted as the last chance for the two players to clinch the World Cup for their respective countries. Fans also speculate whether the ad is a hint towards the final game of the tournament and whether Messi and Ronaldo will lock horns for a match between Argentina and Portugal. 

The allusion to a famous chess game

In the ad, the two are seemingly mulling their next move on the chess board. The position is in fact an allusion to a famous match between chess masters Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura in 2017.

Carlsen and Nakamura's rivalry in chess is reminiscent of Ronald and Messi's. Carlsen even commented, "Second greatest rivalry of our time," to the iconic LV ad.

https://t.co/zTKf7r0pKn pic.twitter.com/spzdZQgFUQ

— Peter Heine Nielsen (@PHChess) November 19, 2022

The briefcase

The box under… ? pic.twitter.com/DSHRbB2Wa9

— TC (@totalcristiano) November 19, 2022

Football fans believe that the chequered LV briefcase on which the two are seen playing chess was a part of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the trophy for the tournament was encased in the LV monogrammed trunk. If fan theories are correct, then the trunk may be holding this year's World Cup.