FIFA World Cup: Fenerbahce shares image of Ecuador striker Enner Valencia with Ronaldo and Messi in famous chess photo

Ecuador pulled off a dream start to their FIFA World Cup 2022 journey as the South American nation crushed hosts Qatar 2-0 in the opening game on Sunday at the Al Bayt Stadium. It was Ecuador skipper Enner Valencia who led the attack in the striker’s role and scored a match-winning brace to his name. Following his commendable performance in the game, fans shared photoshopped images of the 33-year-old footballer joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in their viral chess photo. Valencia’s club Fenerbahce has also uploaded the image on their official Twitter after their frontman went on to hit the headlines.

😎 @EnnerValencia14 #QatarWorldCup2022 pic.twitter.com/zIBZtnsf2y

— Fenerbahçe SK (@Fenerbahce) November 20, 2022

Valencia found the net in the third minute of the game and almost paved his way to the history book for scoring the fastest opening goal of any tournament. But it was disallowed by VAR due to an offside in the build-up. However, he did not have to wait a lot to etch his name on the scoresheet. In the 16th minute, he converted the first goal from a penalty he earned himself, after being knocked to the ground by Qatar goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb. Valencia extended the lead in the 31st minute of the match with a spectacular pitch-perfect header into the bottom corner. Now, Valencia has become the first player from South America to score each of Ecuador’s last five goals in the World Cup. Coming to the photo, it was Louis Vuitton who managed to bring two football stars, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in a single frame in front of a vintage chess board for a promotional cause. The famous frame was shared by both the footballers and, to no one’s surprise, created much buzz across social media. Now, in the new one shared by Fenerbahce, Valencia can be spotted sitting in the background with a cup of coffee in his hands, giving a sarcastic smile to the legendary duo. Since being dropped on the internet, the image has summoned more than 1.5 lakh likes on Twitter. Though Valencia’s presence in the photograph was made possible by photoshop, it left the internet in splits. A user jokingly tagged Valencia as the “real GOAT.” It is still a question whether Ecuador will play with Valencia in their next match as he was forced to leave the ground after suffering ankle and knee injuries in the 77th minute of the game. Ecuador will face the Netherlands in the upcoming fixture on 25 November.