Photo of Lionel Messi doctored to show Bangladesh opposition leader Tarique Rahman

This article is more than one year old.
Published on December 13, 2021 at 07:10
2 min read
By AFP Bangladesh

A photo has been shared multiple times on Facebook alongside a claim that it shows Tarique Rahman -- son of Bangladesh’s former prime minister Khaleda Zia -- becoming the first Asian person to win the "Ballon d'Or of Democracy". The claim is false; the photo has been doctored from an image of Argentinian football superstar Lionel Messi after he received his seventh Ballon d’Or award in Paris in 2021. In response to the misleading posts, France Football -- the organiser of the Ballon d'Or -- said there was no such award as the "Ballon d'Or of Democracy".

The image was shared here on Facebook on November 30, 2021.

Screenshot of the misleading post, taken on December 1, 2021.

The post's Bengali-language caption translates as: “Tarique Zia has been awarded the Ballon d'Or of Democracy as the Special Envoy of the British Government. After receiving this rare honour, the world leader was given a red carpet reception in a royal manner.”

“Tarique Zia, the son of Shaheed Zia, became the first person in Asia to receive this rare honour. We are proud of you Son of Democracy Tarique Zia.”

Tarique Rahman -- also known as Tarique Zia -- is the eldest son of the Zia family who is also the acting chairman of Bangladesh’s main opposition party BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party).

His mother -- Khaleda Zia -- is a former prime minister of the country, while his father Ziaur Rahman was the president of the country from 1977 to 1981.

The Ballon d’Or award is a prestigious award for leading footballers organised by the French magazine France Football.

The image was shared here and here on Facebook alongside a similar claim.

Comments from some social media users on the posts suggested they were misled.

"Our great leader", one person commented on Facebook, while others congratulated Rahman.

However, the claim is false.

Reverse image searches on Google found the image was doctored from a photo of Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi.

It was taken after he received his seventh Ballon d’Or award in Paris in late November, 2021.

The photo was published in Getty Images on November 29, 2021.

The photo's caption reads: “Ballon d'Or award recipient Paris Saint-Germain's Argentine forward Lionel Messi (C) leaves after the 2021 Ballon d'Or France Football award ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on November 29, 2021.”

Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in the misleading posts (L) and the Getty Images photo (R):

( Qadaruddin SHISHIR)

In response to the misleading posts, France Football also rejected the claim.

"[People] shouldn’t pay attention to all these copycats or pale imitations. Only two Ballons d'Or exist this year, which have been awarded to Alexia Putellas and Lionel Messi,” said Pascal Ferré, chief editor of France Football.

AFP found no official reports that the British government has created an award called the "Ballon d’Or of Democracy".

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