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Claim: A verified account on X (formerly Twitter) claimed that Donald Trump wants Cristiano Ronaldo to be present at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
Verdict: False! There is no credible evidence supporting this claim. It originates from a fan-operated account and lacks corroboration from official statements or reputable media sources.
Full Text
On May 14, 2025, a post by the fan’s account @TeamCRonaldo on X (formerly Twitter) went viral. The post claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump wants Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo to be present at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which will be hosted in the United States. The post was styled as breaking news and included photos of Trump and Ronaldo, accompanied by an American flag emoji. The tweet quickly amassed over 225,000 views, 15,000 likes, and hundreds of reposts and comments.
The account further cited “reliable journalist Bruno Andrade” of MaisFutebol, a Portuguese sports media outlet, as the source of the claim. However, no direct link, video, quote, or article from Andrade or MaisFutebol was provided to substantiate the statement.
The news was met with mixed reactions online. Some users expressed excitement or curiosity, while others questioned the claim’s authenticity. In response to a query under the post, Grok AI, a conversational fact-checking tool on X, stated that there was no credible evidence backing the report.
This incident is not uncommon on social media, where celebrity and political fan pages often create speculative or fabricated headlines to drive engagement. When such claims involve high-profile individuals like Donald Trump or Cristiano Ronaldo, they can easily mislead large audiences if not quickly fact-checked.
Verification
To verify this claim, DUBAWA undertook the following:
- Origin of the Claim: The claim was first made by the @TeamCRonaldo account on X, which, while verified, is a fan-operated page not affiliated with Ronaldo’s management, FIFA, or Donald Trump. The page did not provide verifiable proof, such as a video clip, interview, official statement, or news article, despite referencing a “reliable journalist.”
- No Article from Bruno Andrade or MaisFutebol: DUBAWA conducted a search on the MaisFutebol website and found that no article or report from Bruno Andrade on such was published on this website, which could verify the claim made by the claimant as its primary source.
- Lack of Media Coverage: DUBAWA searched for major international news organisations, including BBC Sport, CNN, Reuters, Fox Sport, ESPN, Sky Sports, and FIFA. None of these outlets reported the claim or mentioned any recent interaction between Trump and Ronaldo regarding the 2025 Club World Cup. Such high-profile information would not miss the attention of these international news organisations, nor would they be silent on it.
- Check on Donald Trump’s Official Platforms: DUBAWA’s review of Donald Trump’s official website and Truth social page showed no statement or endorsement regarding Cristiano Ronaldo or the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. No press release or speech has been issued recently that mentions the football star or the event.
- No Statement from Cristiano Ronaldo: There has been no response or acknowledgement from Cristiano Ronaldo’s camp, official representatives, or verified social media accounts concerning the claim. The former link is where he updates things about his career development and personal adventures, while the latter is his YouTube channel, which has recently gained traction on social media. Any such report, if accurate, will not miss either of these channels.
Conclusion
The claim that Donald Trump wants Cristiano Ronaldo to be present at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is false. It originated from a fan account with no verifiable source and has not been supported by any official statement, media coverage, or acknowledgement from the parties involved. It is a classic example of speculative content presented as breaking news to attract attention. Readers are urged to rely on credible news platforms and official channels when dealing with sensitive or high-profile claims.
