Fact Check: Altered Video Has Cristiano Ronaldo Supporting 'Children Of Gaza' -- He Said 'Children of Syria' In Message Recorded Years Ago

Fact Check

  • by: Alexis Tereszcuk
Fact Check: Altered Video Has Cristiano Ronaldo Supporting 'Children Of Gaza' -- He Said 'Children of Syria' In Message Recorded Years Ago Doctored Video

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:

Screen Shot 2024-05-29 at 1.58.07 PM.png

(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.

Want to inform others about the accuracy of this story?

See who is sharing it (it might even be your friends...) and leave the link in the comments.:


  Alexis Tereszcuk

Alexis Tereszcuk is a writer and fact checker at Lead Stories and an award-winning journalist who spent over a decade breaking hard news and celebrity scoop with RadarOnline and Us Weekly.

As the Entertainment Editor, she investigated Hollywood stories and conducted interviews with A-list celebrities and reality stars.  

Alexis’ crime reporting earned her spots as a contributor on the Nancy Grace show, CNN, Fox News and Entertainment Tonight, among others.

Read more about or contact Alexis Tereszcuk

About Us

International Fact-Checking Organization Meta Third-Party Fact Checker

Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
Spotted something? Let us know!.

Lead Stories is a:


WhatsApp Tipline

Have a tip or a question? Chat with our friendly robots on WhatsApp!

Add our number +1 (404) 655-4223, follow this link or scan the image below with your phone:

@leadstories

Subscribe to our newsletter

* indicates required

Please select all the ways you would like to hear from Lead Stories LLC:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Most Read

Most Recent

Share your opinion