Did Lionel Messi donate $1.5M to Israel? Don't fall for claim

According to a rumor that spread in March 2026, Argentinian soccer star Lionel Messi, who plays for the team Inter Miami, had donated $1.5 million to Israel.

For example, an X user claimed on March 12 (archived) that it was heartbreaking to learn Messi supported Israel and urged Muslim fans to unfollow him: 

BREAKING MY HEART: 

As a die-hard Messi fan, I'm DONE if the rumors that he donated $1.5M to Israel is true, supporting the killing of innocent kid! 

I'm going to delete all his stuff, burning his jerseys, & boycotting his games forever if it's true. 

Every Muslim fan, UNFOLLOW him NOW on all socials, don't support this betrayal!

More X accounts shared the rumor. In addition, Snopes readers searched our site to confirm if it's true.

The story spread as Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran, and as news circulated about Messi's failed return in 2023 to the club FC Barcelona.

However, the rumor that Messi gave $1.5 million to Israel was fictional. It originated (archived) from an X account that describes itself as a humorous in nature.

To determine the rumor's origin, we first used search engines such as Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo. If Messi really had donated money to Israel, journalists with reputable news outlets, such as The Associated Press or Reuters, would have widely reported on it, and those search inquiries would have uncovered such evidence. That was not the case.

X account @FabrizioRonald0 first shared the rumor on March 8 (archived). The account's bio reads: "Parody Account - not affiliated with anyone - Honest football account." The account took its name from Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi's rival for the "greatest of all time" title in fans' hearts, and Fabrizio Fauna, a satirical account that parodied Italian soccer journalist Fabrizio Romano. This was further indication that @FabrizioRonald0 did not share real stories.

Snopes also attempted to contact Messi's representatives for a response to the false story circulating online. We will update this story if we hear back. 

Snopes has debunked similar pieces of media before. For example, on March 12, we alerted readers to a satirical story about U.S. President Donald Trump signing an executive order banning gas stations from showing the price of gas amid the war in Iran forcing oil prices up.

Let us note here: Whether you agree with something being described as satire or parody is a matter of opinion. Snopes is in the business of facts. We label these rumors based on creators' description of them. Your call on whether you agree.