Fact Check: Viral video message by Ronaldo for children in Gaza is manipulated
The video had been digitally manipulated. The original video from 2016 shows Ronaldo’s message for the children of Syria.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 1 Jun 2024 11:50 AM GMT
Screengrabs of the misleading X posts.
Claim: The video shows Cristiano Ronaldo’s message for children in conflict-hit Gaza in 2024.
Fact: The claim is false. The clip has been digitally altered. The original Ronaldo’s video extends solidarity with the children in Syria.
Hyderabad: The image with the slogan ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ has gained widespread attention on social media following an Israeli air strike and subsequent fire at a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in the southern Gaza city of Rafah earlier this week.
Now, a video of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo allegedly speaking for the children of Gaza has gone viral. “Hello, this is for the children of Gaza. We know you have been suffering a lot. I am a very famous player but you are the true heroes. Do not lose your hope, the world is with you. We care about you; I am with you,” Ronaldo is heard saying in the video.
Sharing the video (archive) on X, a user wrote, “A message from Cristiano Ronaldo to the children of Gaza. May Allah guide Cristiano Ronaldo to Islam.”
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the video had been digitally manipulated. The original video from 2016 shows Ronaldo’s message for the children of Syria.
We ran an advanced search on X and found the original video posted on Ronaldo’s official handle on December 23, 2016. In this video, he is wearing the same blue shirt as seen in the viral clip.
The caption stated that the video has ‘a message of hope to the children affected by the conflict in Syria.’ In the video, Ronaldo could be heard saying, “Hello, this is for the children of Syria. We know you have been suffering a lot. I am a very famous player, but you are the true heroes. Do not lose your hope; the world is with you. We care about you; I am with you.”
Upon playing the viral clip frame by frame, we could see that the footballer’s lip movement is out of sync with the audio when ‘Gaza’ is mentioned. This could hint that the word digitally replaced the word ‘Syria’ in the viral clip.
We also found the original video published by the YouTube channel of Arab News and Middle East Eye on December 23, 2016. Both channels stated in the title that the video shows Ronaldo’s solidarity message for the Syrian children.
Hindustan Times reported the video (Cristiano Ronaldo says ‘Don’t lose hope’ to children suffering in Syria) on December 24, 2016, stating that Ronaldo called Syria’s children surviving the conflict as ‘true heroes’ and joined a campaign to provide food, medicine and psychological help for kids in Aleppo.
Hence, we conclude that the viral video of Ronaldo showing support for the children of Gaza is manipulated. The claim is false.
