Following Argentina’s victory in final match of FIFA World Cup 2022, a video of captain Lionel Messi hugging a woman is being widely shared claiming that she is his mother. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Messi hugging his mother after winning the final match of FIFA World Cup 2022.
Fact: The woman in the viral video is not Messi’s mother Celia. She is Argentina National Football team cook Antonia Farías. However, after the victory, Messi also embraced his mother Celia who is wearing purple coloured Jersey. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
First, we compared the visuals of the woman in the viral video with images of Messi’s mother Celia María Cuccittini and found that the woman in the video is not his mother Celia. We then searched the internet with relevant keywords and found reports on Argentinian media websites Los Andes and Clarin. They identified the woman as Antonia Farías, the cook for Argentina National Football team.
We then compared the visuals of Antonia Farías in viral video with that of her other social media images and confirmed that the woman in the viral video is team cook Antonia Farías. As per the media reports, she has been working with the team for 10 years and accompanies the team everywhere.
She also shared images of herself celebrating with Argentina team during 2021 Copa America victory.
Moreover, images from Reuters and Getty images show Messi’s mother Celia wearing a purple coloured Jersey during the match & at the celebrations. Her left forearm doesn’t have any tattoo.
To sum it up, though Messi embraced her mother Celia after the victory, the woman in the viral video is not his mother. She is Argentina team cook Antonia Farías.
