Does a video on social media show Cristiano Ronaldo offering support to "children of Gaza"? No, that's not true: The original video of soccer superstar Ronaldo was posted in 2016 and he said it was for the "children of Syria," not the children of Gaza. His voice has been altered to change the word "Syria" to "Gaza," and the background in the original video has been changed in the altered version. The original video was published nearly seven years before the Hamas-Israel war that began on October 7, 2023.
The claim appeared as a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, on May 29, 2024. The video opened with Ronaldo on screen and a voice saying:
Hello, this is for children of Gaza.
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Wed May 29 20:26:30 2024 UTC)
In the 20-second video, Ronaldo appears to make the following statement:
Hello, this is for children of Gaza. We know that you have been suffering a lot. I am a very famous player but you are the true heroes. Don't lose your hope. The world is with you. We care about you. I am with you.
A Google search with the keywords from his message returns a video posted to Ronaldo's verified Facebook account on December 23, 2016. Multiple news outlets reported on his message to the children of Syria at the time, including USA Today and The Washington Post.
The original video posted was listed on Ronaldo's account as a partnership with Save the Children US. The caption read, "A message of hope to the children affected by the conflict in Syria. @SavetheChildren." The video shows Ronaldo in the same blue shirt as the one he is wearing in the video posted on X but with a plain wall behind him. In the video he posted his opening is, "Hello, this is for children of Syria," and he does not mention Gaza.
Other fact check agencies have reviewed this claim, including Reuters.
Other Lead Stories fact checks related to the Hamas-Israel war that began on October 7, 2023, can be found here.
