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AI-generated image falsely claims FIFA president injects Messi

Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Jul 8, 2026, 10:57 AM

Last updated Jul 8, 2026

AI-generated image falsely claims FIFA president injects Messi

Summary

An image purportedly showing FIFA President Gianni Infantino injecting Lionel Messi with performance-enhancing drugs has been identified as AI-generated. The image surfaced online amid speculation about Messi's hamstring injury prior to the World Cup, where he later became the tournament's leading scorer. Despite the ongoing claims, there have been no official reports confirming Messi's use of performance-enhancing drugs during the tournaments. FIFA has conducted extensive drug testing, including thousands of tests at the 2022 World Cup, which revealed no violations.

Source Links

Yahoo Sports

Status Watch

•Messi became the leading scorer in the World Cup amid injury concerns
•The fabricated image appeared online on June 30, 2026
•FIFA conducted 2,846 tests leading up to and during the 2022 World Cup
•No evidence has been found of Messi using performance-enhancing drugs

Latest Updates

10:57 AMYahoo Sports — Image of FIFA president injecting Lionel Messi with performance-enhancing drugs is AI-generated

What they're saying

"
Lionel Me ssi made World Cup history in June by becoming its leading scorer even as he suffered from a minor hamstring injury weeks before the tournament, sparking the online spread of a fabricated image purportedly showing him receiving performance-enhancing drugs. The picture contains visual artefacts indicative of synthetic content and a detection tool flagged it as made with AI.
— Yahoo Sports

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