ISLAMABAD: Multiple social media accounts shared an image showing football star Cristiano Ronaldo wearing a T-shirt with a portrait of PTI founder. However, this image is a manipulated version of a photo from May 2016, which originally featured Ronaldo in a plain white T-shirt without Imran Khan’s image.
On August 31, a user on X (formerly Twitter), identified as pro-PTI based on previous posts, shared the altered photo of Ronaldo, with the T-shirt featuring Imran’s face and the text: “Kaptaan we love you.” The caption stated: “Oh patwaris, what just happened? The person with the most fans in the world turned out to be a fan of our leader.”
The term “patwaris” originally refers to land revenue officials but is used derogatorily for PML-N supporters. The post received almost 70,000 views and was shared 1,400 times. The same image was also spread across other platforms, including Facebook and YouTube.
A fact check was launched to verify the claim’s authenticity due to its viral nature and the public’s interest in both Ronaldo and the former prime minister. A reverse image search revealed that the original photo, posted on a fan account on X on May 6, 2016, depicted Ronaldo at the Mutua Madrid Open wearing the same plain white T-shirt.
Further investigation through a keyword search led to a Daily Mail article dated May 6, 2016, titled “Cristiano Ronaldo takes his mind off the La Liga title race by watching Rafael Nadal beat Joao Sousa in Madrid Open quarter-final.” The report included the genuine image of Ronaldo in a black leather bomber jacket over a plain white T-shirt, without any portrait.
The fact-check concluded that the claim of Ronaldo wearing a T-shirt in support of PTI leader is false. The original May 2016 image was altered to add PTI leader’s portrait, whereas the actual photo features Ronaldo in a plain white T-shirt.
