2016 video of Ronaldo’s message for Syria shared as his support for Palestine

By: Umme Kulsum
November 9 2023

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Screenshots of posts circulating online claiming to show footballer Cristiano Ronaldo supporting Palestinians. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

What’s the claim?

A video of Cristiano Ronaldo is circulating on social media alongside captions that claim it shows the footballer offering a message of solidarity with Palestine amid the ongoing conflict. In the viral video, Ronaldo says, “We know that you have been suffering a lot. I am a very famous footballer, but you are the true heroes. Don’t lose your hope; the world is with you.” One X user shared the clip with the caption, “Cristiano Ronaldo is with Palestine.”

After the message, the clip shows footage of a footballer on a pitch waving a Palestinian flag, suggesting that it shows Ronaldo.

Archived versions of such X posts can be found here, here, and here. The clip is also being widely shared on Facebook with the same narrative. Archived versions of the posts can be accessed here and here.

Screenshot of the viral video. (Source: X/Screenshot)

What we found

Logically Facts found that the video is from 2016 and has nothing to do with the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

We found the extended version of the video posted by Cristiano Ronaldo on December 23, 2016, across his social media accounts. The video was captioned, “A message of hope to the children affected by the conflict in Syria.” Children's humanitarian organization Save the Children was also tagged in the caption. Ronaldo served as an ambassador for Save the Children for ten years. 

In the original video, Ronaldo can be heard saying, "Hello, this is for the children of Syria," in the first three seconds of the video. However, that segment has been edited out of the viral video. 

Since 2011, Syria has been affected by a civil war fought between the Syrian government and rebel groups.

The second clip attached to the viral video — showing a footballer holding up the Palestinian flag during a match — has previously been debunked by Logically Facts. The player in the video with a flag is Moroccan footballer Jawad El Yamiq, but not Ronaldo. You can read the fact check here.

The verdict

The original video is from 2016, when Cristiano Ronaldo recorded a message of support to children affected by conflict in Syria, and has no connection to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The second clip shows Moroccan footballer Jawad El Yamiq holding a Palestinian flag during a football during the 2022 Qatar world cup, and does not show Cristiano Ronaldo. Therefore we have marked this claim as false.