One day before the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicked off, soccer legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo went viral with an Instagram photo.
The photo, which was taken as an advertisement for Louis Vuitton, shows Messi and Ronaldo engaging in a game of chess on top of a briefcase festooned with the Louis Vuitton logo.
Normally, advertisement posts don’t generate much engagement on social media. But when the ad includes two of the most famous athletes in the world, all bets are off.
Ronaldo posted the photo Saturday, and just one day later, it already has over 34 million likes. Messi also posted the photo, with his post raking up over 26 million likes as of Sunday afternoon.
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Louis Vuitton also designed the trophy case for this year’s World Cup trophy, although it’s not the same case featured in the Ronaldo–Messi ad above.
Ronaldo is playing for Portugal during the World Cup, with his first match taking place on Thursday against Ghana. Messi will play for Argentina, whose first match kicks off on Tuesday against Saudi Arabia.
