Carlsen is traveling to Riyadh to participate in the chess competition at the 2025 esports World Cup (EWC) from 29/7 to 1/8. This is the first time chess has been featured at the EWC, with a prize pool of USD 1.5 million. The champion will receive USD 250,000, a sum second only to the World Chess Championship prize.
In an interview on the EWC website, Carlsen expressed his desire to play against Ronaldo during his trip to Saudi Arabia. "I don't know what Ronaldo has accomplished on the chessboard, but his life and football career are incredibly impressive," the Norwegian grandmaster said. "I would certainly be honored to meet and play a game with him while I'm here."
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Ronaldo (left) presents a Real Madrid number one jersey to Magnus Carlsen at the club's headquarters in Valdebebas, Madrid, Spain, in December 2014. Photo: Pinterest |
Ronaldo (left) presents a Real Madrid number one jersey to Magnus Carlsen at the club's headquarters in Valdebebas, Madrid, Spain, in December 2014. Photo: Pinterest
Carlsen noted the growing popularity of chess in recent years, attracting stars from other sports. In football, many players enjoy chess, such as Mohamed Salah, Martin Odegaard, Harry Kane, Christian Pulisic, Bryan Mbeumo, N'Golo Kante, and Eberechi Eze. However, superstars like Ronaldo and Lionel Messi haven't publicly expressed a passion for chess.
Despite this, the two icons appeared in a viral chess photo that garnered nearly 42 million likes on Instagram. This was a composite image created by a famous French luxury fashion brand, featuring Ronaldo and Messi playing chess together. In reality, the two players were not in the same room. The chess position was taken from a game between Carlsen and world number two Hikaru Nakamura at the 2017 Norway Chess tournament.
A chess match between Ronaldo and Carlsen is unlikely in the near future, as the 40-year-old superstar is not in Saudi Arabia during Carlsen's participation in the EWC. Ronaldo captains Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, but the team is currently training in Austria and will then travel to Portugal. They will return to Riyadh a few days after the EWC concludes.
Carlsen is a football fan and a Real Madrid supporter. He met Ronaldo several times when the Portuguese star played in Spain. The 34-year-old grandmaster also appeared on the Bernabeu pitch for a ceremonial kick-off after winning the World Chess Championship.
Compiled by Xuan Binh
