This astonishing revelation has surfaced in a video clip circulating on social media. Could it be possible that Cristiano Ronaldo is facing financial difficulties to the extent of asking Lionel Messi for a loan?
Through rigorous dedication and talent, Cristiano Ronaldo has ascended to the pinnacle and become an icon of contemporary football. The forward, now representing Al Nassr FC in the Saudi Pro League, has earned admiration by clinching five Ballon d’Or awards. More notably, at the age of 39, he continues to exhibit a remarkable “reverse aging” performance. Furthermore, Ronaldo is contemplating participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the Portuguese national team before retiring.
Ronaldo’s fame has unexpectedly made him a target for high-tech criminals exploiting deepfake technology for fraudulent purposes. Particularly, the former Manchester United star is distraught over being impersonated through artificial intelligence-generated voice and imagery for online scams. Recently, there has been a surge in fraudulent videos featuring Ronaldo’s likeness and voice, causing concern and unease among his family, friends, and loyal fan base.
One such fraudulent video was recently reported in A Bola newspaper. Utilizing artificial intelligence technology, the criminals seamlessly replicated Ronaldo’s appearance and voice. Consequently, at a glance or listen, many would believe the video was genuinely created by Ronaldo himself.
However, upon closer inspection, anyone would notice the absurdity of this clip. Firstly, it mentions Ronaldo lacking the funds to enroll his children in a prestigious international school in Riyadh, the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the criminals used Ronaldo’s replicated voice to solicit credit card numbers and passwords from potential victims. They even fabricated a shocking scenario of Ronaldo asking Messi for a loan, only to be rejected by Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, who is currently associated with Inter Miami CF in Major League Soccer (MLS).
In reality, this is preposterous considering Ronaldo’s immense wealth. Recently, Sportico website published the list of the top 10 highest-earning athletes in history. Ronaldo, drawing particular attention, especially from devout football fans, ranks third with an inflation-adjusted earnings of $1.92 billion USD. Such wealth demonstrates Ronaldo’s financial stability. Yet, the criminals concocted a situation portraying him as financially struggling to the point of borrowing from Messi.
Despite this, cybersecurity experts warn that high-tech criminals will increasingly employ sophisticated methods to impersonate football stars like Ronaldo and Messi through deepfake technology for online fraud.