A photo of Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi allegedly holding a red-and-black pocket edition of the Indian Constitution is going viral on social media, with users claiming that the footballer displayed the Constitution during his visit to India. However, the fact-check confirmed that the image is digitally altered.
What is going viral?
A photo going viral on social media shows Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi holding a red-and-black, pocket-sized copy of the Indian Constitution during his visit to India.
An X handle with the username Parinda (@Parthian_1) on December 14 shared an image of Argentine football legend Lionel Messi from his recently concluded India tour, in which he was allegedly seen holding a red-and-black coat-pocket edition of the Indian Constitution. Sharing the image, the user captioned it, "Jai Sanvidhan."
Investigation
As the post went viral on social media, we decided to verify the claim. To ascertain the authenticity of the image, the desk ran the viral photo through Google Lens and found several social media accounts sharing it with similar assertions. The search results also led to a post by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on his official X handle. The image shared by the Chief Minister closely matched the viral photo, but did not show Lionel Messi holding a copy of the Indian Constitution.
A closer look at the details provided in the post revealed that the photograph was taken during Messi's visit to Hyderabad on December 13, 2025. In the original image, Messi is seen waving to fans at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The version circulating on social media was digitally altered to falsely depict him holding a copy of the Indian Constitution.
What came out in the fact check?
The fact check confirmed that the viral photo of Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi is digitally altered. The original image shows Messi waving at fans during his visit to Hyderabad and does not include any copy of the Indian Constitution. Viewers are advised to remain cautious and verify information before believing or sharing such posts.
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