No official confirmation of Ronaldo offering condolences to Messi after father's death

Social media has been abuzz with questions over whether Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo reached out to his former rival Lionel Messi to offer condolences following the death of Messi's father and agent, Jorge Messi, at the age of 68 after a health crisis that the family had kept private from the media.

Lionel Messi returned to his hometown of Rosario, Argentina, to attend his father's funeral, accompanied by his wife Antonela and their children, amid an outpouring of grief and sympathy from the global sporting community. Inter Miami and Messi's teammates also paid tribute to him, while Messi missed his team's most recent match due to his father's passing.

A post circulated on X claimed that Ronaldo had called Messi and shared heartfelt words about the loss of a father and the importance of staying strong for one's family.

The post garnered hundreds of thousands of views within hours, but users soon began to question the authenticity of the statement attributed to the Portugal captain. So far, there has been no official statement or coverage from reputable sports media confirming that Ronaldo made such remarks or contacted Messi by phone. Therefore, presenting the statement as if it genuinely came from Ronaldo would be misleading; it is more accurate to describe it as an unverified, widely shared quote.

Rumors target Georgina Rodriguez and Ronaldo wedding

The rumors also extended to Ronaldo's partner, Georgina Rodriguez, with a video circulating that allegedly showed her discussing Jorge Messi's death and informing Ronaldo of the news, as well as claims that she reached out to Antonela Roccuzzo to offer condolences. However, a review of the video shows no mention by Georgina of Messi's father's death, confirming that the video's accompanying text is unrelated to its actual content.

Meanwhile, the story grew more complicated with reports of an imminent wedding for Ronaldo and Georgina in Madeira. Crowds of fans and media gathered outside Funchal Cathedral in anticipation, but the couple did not appear. Instead, a wedding for another couple took place at the same cathedral and was disrupted by the crowds waiting for Ronaldo and Georgina.