An image shared on social media purports Argentinian soccer star, Lionel Messi, will appear on the nation’s newly minted currency.

#FIFAWorldCup #Messi𓃵
“The power of winning Worldcup”, Messi will be on 1000 peso’s bill, honored by Bank of Argentina. pic.twitter.com/ENPmXnhcOm

— Axif Panhwar (@Axif_PanhwaR) December 22, 2022

Verdict: False

The claim is baseless. There is no evidence that Messi will be on the country’s currency.

Fact Check:

Messi led his Argentina soccer team to a FIFA World Cup win Dec. 18 over the defending France, NPR reported reported. Messi announced in the run up to the Qatar games that this would be his final appearance in the FIFA World Cup, according to The Guardian.

The Twitter post purportedly shows an image of the new 1,000-peso bills that will feature Messi, but does not include where this information originated from. “Lionel Messi to be Honored With his Own Banknote after Historic World Cup Victory,” the post reads. (RELATED: Did Elon Musk Say Jack Dorsey Was Paid By The Democratic Party?)

The post is inaccurate. There are no credible news reports that suggest that Argentina has made this decision. There is no mention of this new banknote on the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic. Likewise, Messi has not mentioned any such development on any of his verified social media accounts.

There have been several reports that state the country is considering honoring Messi with his own bank note, but some mention the comment was made in jest. Special eFootball collector’s cards are already being made to honor the win.

 

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A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi)

This is not the first time misinformation has been promoted as true on social media. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim sports journalist Grant Wahl died from the COVID-19 vaccine.