Fact Check: Viral image of footballer Lionel Messi holding Israeli flag is photoshopped

Hyderabad: An image of Argentina’s legendary footballer Lionel Messi holding an Israeli flag is making rounds on social media with users claiming that the image proves Messi’s support for Israel amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The image was shared with the caption, “God bless Leo Messi, we love you” along with Israeli flag emojis.

Let’s find out if this viral image of Messi holds any credibility.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the image is morphed.

We started our investigation by performing a keyword search to find any recent news reports about Messi giving any statements about the Israel-Hamas conflict. But we couldn’t find any media reports or social media posts regarding the same.

If the image was authentic, it would have been definitely covered by the mainstream media.

Next, we performed a simple reverse image search and found the same image uploaded on an Instagram handle of a sports brand icons_memorabilia holding their brand placard uploaded recently on October 31, 2023.

The caption reads, “Get 8% OFF all things Messi on Icons.com, the exclusive home of Official Messi Signed Merchandise. We figure now he’s won you should win too! Simply use the discount code MESSI8 at the checkout when buying any Messi-related items. Congratulations, @leomessi! We looking forward to seeing you again very soon!”

In the original version of the image, it can be clearly seen that Messi was holding a placard marketing the Icons brand and not an Israeli flag.

To confirm Messi’s association with the brand, we searched through the official website of the Icons and found a similar image of Messi on top.

Hence, we conclude that the image of Messi holding an Israeli flag is photoshopped.

Here’s a comparison of the viral edited image and the original.