We all know sport stars like to play a few rounds of cards in their down time. From on the team bus to in the changing room, the likes of Teddy Sheringham, Shane Warne, and Boris Becker all enjoy calling a bluff, but two men have taken it beyond the casual game and moved on to something a little more serious. Sporting legends Rafael Nadal and Ronaldo are all set to go head-to-head in ‘The Duel’ next month in what promises to be a thrilling encounter in the heart of London.
Taking place on November 6, it comes just days before Rafa is expected to compete in the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena. Although it hasn’t been the best few weeks for the Spaniard.
Suffering from appendicitis, he struggled in the Shanghai Masters and is still unsure if he’ll compete in London, assessing his performance in Basel before he makes the trip over. So poker could be a welcome distraction.
It’s not the first time Ronaldo and Nadal have come up against each other on the green felt, with the pair playing a charity tournament in Prague just under a year ago. That time they were joined by Dutch hockey star Fatima Moreira de Melo and poker ace Daniel Negreanu, with Nadal coming out on top in only his first tournament.
However, when you’re a two-time World Cup winner you don’t take that lightly. Ronaldo will be desperate to dish out revenge in the city where he scored his second international goal on his way to 62, and we know whenever he’s faltered he’s come back with a bang.
His stats are up there with any athlete in the world, winning FIFA World Player of the Year three times and scoring over 350 career goals. Match that with Rafa’s 14 Grand Slam titles and they’re pretty evenly matched.
Both have world-class records behind them, winning the biggest tournaments and picking up the highest accolades, and while they compete in entirely different sports, there’s one thing they have in common – Real Madrid.
Of course Ronaldo joined up with the club as part of the ‘Galacticos’ following the 2002 World Cup alongside Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, and David Beckham, propelling him to superstardom and his only La Liga title in his first season.
Meanwhile, while Real Madrid fan Nadal was worshipping his idols at the club, he was also starting to make inroads on the tennis circuit winning his first ATP match and kick starting what has grown to be a history making career.
They’ve both been consistently world-class throughout their careers with the Brazilian picking up the top FIFA World Player of the Year two years in a row – a feat only achieved by fellow countryman Ronaldinho. Nadal has perhaps bettered that standing at World No 1 for 141 weeks.
Which will make The Duel extremely tense, with both wanting to take the number one spot.
Ronaldo first called out Nadal after seeing he’d been in training for another poker competition called Rafa vs. the World which took place in mid-October. In light of this, Ronaldo will no doubt be playing a few extra hands online to prepare himself too.
He said, “I challenged Rafa to a rematch after finding out he was preparing for another live poker game. The last time we played together Rafa won the match and it was a lot of fun. This time it will be different, though, because I have been improving on my own poker strategy and will be more prepared.”
It’s all set to be an exciting counter between the two top sportsmen; both out of their comfort zones, and desperate to be a champion. Rafa will want to finish his year on a high after an injury-laden few weeks, but can he see off the man nicknamed “The Phenomenon”? We’ll certainly be tuning in to find out.
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