Cristiano Ronaldo: I would like to be the player to checkmate Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo would like to be the one to leave Lionel Messi "checkmate" at the World Cup, the Portugal star said n Monday.

The comments come after Messi and Ronaldo posed in a photograph competing against each other at chess ahead of the tournament in Qatar.

"I loved doing that campaign with Louis Vuitton, it was a dream to be invited as an ambassador," Ronaldo said.

"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."

Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the game for over a decade, with many debating who is the best of the two, although neither of them have yet won a World Cup with their respective nations.

Could success for one in Qatar change the narrative around the duo?

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

"The World Cup will always be a showcase. But if you tell me you won’t win any more tournaments in your career, I would still be happy, given all I have achieved.

"I’m proud of all my achievements. It will be a dream obviously. Let’s see, I hope all the energy is on the right side, on our side."