Woman Messi hugged after World Cup final is Argentina team chef, not his mom
Social Media users are sharing a video claiming that it shows Argentine footballer Lionel Messi hugging his mother.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 21 Dec 2022 6:59 AM GMT
Hyderabad: Social Media users are sharing a video claiming that it shows Argentine footballer Lionel Messi hugging his mother. The video comes after Argentina won FIFA World Cup 2022, defeating France in the final match played in Qatar on December 18.
A Facebook page shared the video with the caption, "A warm hug between Messi and his mother after Argentina won the FIFA WorldCup Qatar 2022 Final."
Click here to see the post.
Several Twitter users have also shared the video claiming the same. (Click here and here to see the posts.)
Media organizations like NDTV and Hindustan Times also shared the screenshot of the video claiming that it shows Messi's emotional moment with his mother after winning the World Cup.
Fact Check
NewsMeter ran a keyword search and found that the woman who was hugged by Messi is not his mother. According to an article published by The Sun, the crying woman seen hugged by Messi after the World cup victory is Antonia Farias — the chef of the Argentina national team.
We also came across a Spanish article by Los Andes, it said after the final match, a clip went viral with social media users falsely claiming that it shows Messi affectionately hugging her mother.
The article confirms that the woman in the clip is Antonia Farías, the chef of the Argentina national team for the last ten years. She accompanies the team everywhere and has developed an emotional bond with the players.
Finally, we came across an image of Messi's mother and her wife from the final match published by Getty Images. The description read, Celia Maria Cuccittini, mother of Lionel Messi and his wife Antonella Roccuzzo following the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium on December 18, 2022, in Lusail City, Qatar."
The image shows them wearing purple jerseys while the woman in the viral clip was sporting the blue and white jersey of the Argentine team.
It is evident that the woman in the viral clip sharing an emotional moment with Messi is a chef of Argentina's national team. Hence, the claim by media organizations and social media users is false.
