CLAIM: Picture shows football star Lionel Messi holding Israeli flag
An Instagram post from October 31 (direct link, archived link) contains what appears to be a screenshot of the Instagram page of famous Argentinian football player Lionel Messi, showing him holding an Israeli flag.
“Proving once again he’s the GOAT,” the post’s caption read.
It received more than 1,800 likes in three days. Other versions of the account were widely circulated on Facebook and Twitter.
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The image has been changed. 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 a sign with souvenir site
Although this image has Messi’s Instagram account in the upper left corner, no such photo can be found on his verified Instagram account.
The original photo can be seen on the Instagram page of Icons.com, a sports memorabilia website that has an exclusive contract to sell Messi’s signed merchandise. It showed Messi holding a sign promoting the brand instead of the Israeli flag.
Messi and the Argentinian football team became the subject of controversy between Israelis and Palestinians in 2018 when Argentina was scheduled to play in Jerusalem. The planned match sparked protests in the West Bank and around the world, with the match seen as a way for Israel to reinforce its claim to the city, the Associated Press reported. The game was ultimately canceled due to safety concerns.
Despite heightened tensions in Gaza at the time, Argentina played Uruguay in a friendly match in Israel the following year, according to the Associated Press.
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USA TODAY has previously debunked a series of altered content stemming from Israel’s war with Hamas, including an image of an Israeli flag lit up at the Las Vegas Sphere, an image showing a group of Israelis waving to marching soldiers, and Video shows CNN falsifying coverage of Israeli rocket attack.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
BOOM Fact Check, AFP Fact Check and The Quint also debunked this claim.
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