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Claim: A Facebook post by Leo Messi Official Group claimed that Lionel Messi and his wife Antonella recently visited Nigeria and dressed in traditional Nigerian attire.
Verdict: False! The photo circulating online is AI-generated. There is no credible evidence that Lionel Messi visited Nigeria. His match schedule makes it logistically impossible for him to visit on the claimed date.
Full Text
A viral Facebook post shared by a page named “Leo Messi Official Group” shows Lionel Messi and his wife Antonella dressed in green Nigerian attire, claiming they “shined in Nigeria” and were given a “royal welcome.” The post, accompanied by a photo of the couple wearing Nigerian traditional clothes with people waving green and white flags in the background, has generated thousands of reactions and shares.
The claim gained attention after a Facebook post showing Lionel Messi and his wife in Nigerian attire went viral, prompting questions about whether the football star had actually visited Nigeria.
Over 500 comments have been made with some 338 shares. Some of the comments appear to believe the report.
DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim as part of its mandate to ensure the truth is made available on social media platforms.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a Google keyword search, but found that the claim was not reported by any credible news sources in the country or Africa as a whole. If Lionel Messi had visited Nigeria, it would have been widely covered by local and international media outlets. However, searches on BBC Africa, Premium Times, Punch newspaper, and other credible outlets show no such reports.
Nigeria’s DUBAWA Sub Editor Lois Ugbede told the researcher there has been no report of Messi’s visit to Nigeria which should have made the news if it were true.
“The said claim is going viral on Facebook and TikTok. This is not the first time Messi has been rumoured to visit Nigeria. In 2024, we debunked a rumour that Messi would be visiting Davido to spend the Christmas,” she said.
When subjected to analysis on reversely.ai, the image scored 92.8% probability of being AI-generated or deepfake. This suggests it was digitally created, not a real photograph of Messi and his wife.
A screenshot of the claimed image result after it was subjected to reversely AI
A review of Messi’s verified Instagram account between October 6th and 10th, 2025, shows no mention or photo of any trip to Nigeria. Instead, his posts include reporting for training sessions with Inter Miami and a Sponsored content post made on October 10th, 2025, the same period the alleged visit supposedly occurred.
Messi played for Inter Miami in the United States and was engaged in team training sessions with the Argentina national team (though he skipped that game to play for Inter Miami) through the week leading up to their next game. Given this tight schedule, a trip to Nigeria was logistically impossible.
Conclusion
The viral photo of Lionel Messi and Antonella allegedly taken in Nigeria is AI-generated and not real. No credible reports or official statements support claims of his visit. Messi remained in the United States training and working with Inter Miami during that period.
