Claim: Social media users are sharing a photo of Cristiano Ronaldo to back claims that he was among spectators watching the 2022 World Cup final.
Verdict: False. The photo pre-dates the World Cup.
Full Text
Some online users, especially on Facebook, claim that the captain of Portugal’s male senior national team, Cristiano Ronaldo, was in the stadium to watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and France.
They are backing the claim with several photos of the former Manchester United forward wearing a brown suit on top of a white shirt. Next to him was his girlfriend, Georgina Rodriquez.
Various accounts that have made the claim can be seen here, here, here, and here.
Verification
A Google reverse image search was done to identify other instances when the same image was used.
We found a 2018 publication by The Sun where the athlete appeared in the same suit. They credited Getty Images for the picture.
Another publication by Mirror.co.uk, dated October 2, 2018, had one of the images circulated by social media users to back their claim. They credited Reuters for the photo.
The story featured several other photos of the player in the same environment, although they were shot from different angles.
The publication by Mirror.co.uk is headlined “Cristiano Ronaldo watches Juventus in Champions League action from the stands alongside Georgina Rodriguez.”
Conclusion
The photo being used to back the assertion that Cristiano Ronaldo was in the stands to watch the 2022 Argentina vs France World Cup Final is old.
