Image of Lionel Messi holding Israeli flag amid Israel-Hamas war is altered | Fact check
The claim: Image shows soccer star Lionel Messi holding Israeli flag
An Oct. 31 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) includes what appears to be a screenshot from renowned Argentine soccer player Lionel Messi's Instagram page showing him holding an Israeli flag.
“Proving yet again that he is the GOAT,” reads the post's caption.
It received more than 1,800 likes in three days. Other versions of the claim were shared widely on Facebook and Twitter.
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Our rating: Altered
The image is altered. No such image appears on Messi's Instagram account. The original photo shows Messi holding a sign promoting a sports memorabilia website.
Original photo shows Messi holding sign for memorabilia website
Despite the image having Messi's Instagram handle in the upper left corner, no such photo can be found on his verified Instagram account.
The original photo can be seen in posts on an Instagram page for Icons.com, a sports memorabilia website that has an exclusive contract to sell signed Messi merchandise. It shows Messi holding up a sign promoting the brand, not the Israeli flag.
Messi and the Argentine soccer team were the subjects of controversy among Israelis and Palestinians in 2018 when Argentina was scheduled to play a match in Jerusalem. The planned match sparked protests in the West Bank and around the world from those who saw the game as a way for Israel to reinforce its claim on the city. The match was eventually canceled over safety concerns.
Argentina played a friendly game against Uruguay in Israel the following year despite an uptick in tensions in Gaza at the time, the Associated Press reported.
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Paste BN has previously debunked an array of altered content stemming from the Israel-Hamas war, including that the Las Vegas Sphere lit up with an image of the Israeli flag, that an image shows a crowd of Israelis waving at marching soldiers, and that a video shows CNN faking coverage of a rocket attack in Israel.
Paste BN reached out to users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
BOOM Fact Check, AFP Fact Check and The Quint also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
- Icons.com, Oct. 31, Instagram post
- Icons.com, Oct. 24, Instagram post
- Associated Press, Nov. 17, 2019, Lionel Messi in Israel despite rockets and boycott threats
- Reuters, June 6, 2018, Palestinians hail Argentina and Messi for calling off Jerusalem match
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