Viral video does not show Cristiano Ronaldo mocking downing of Indian jets in May 2025 conflict

The iVerify Pakistan team reviewed this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team conducted a reverse image search and keyword search to corroborate the video.

Post from multiple users on various social media platforms since September 23, 2025, shared a video of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo making a hand gesture, alleging that he was mocking the loss of Indian fighter jets during the May 2025 conflict with Pakistan. However, the clip is old from February 2025 and has no relation to the Pakistan-India conflict.

Pakistan and India fought in a four-day conflict earlier in May 2025. Indian fighter jets were shot down by the Pakistan Air Force on the night of May 6-7 in response to the Indian Air Force’s late-night missile strikes at six Pakistani sites, including Subhan Mosque in Bahawalpur’s Ahmedpur East, Bilal Mosque in Muzaffarabad, Abbas Mosque in Kotli, Umalkura Mosque in Muridke, the village of Kotki Lohara in Sialkot district, and Shakargarh.

Pakistan took down six Indian jets, including three advanced French Rafale planes. According to a Dawn report, three Rafales, one Su-30MKI, one Mirage 2000 and one MiG-29 were downed within a 40-minute span. Not one Pakistani jet crossed the border or engaged in close combat.

During the Asia Cup cricket clash between the countries on Sept 21, Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf made a hand gesture toward Indian fans, showing “6-0” with his fingers and mimicking a plane crashing. The gesture was widely interpreted as a reference to the Pakistan Air Force’s downing of the six Indian jets.

HOW IT STARTED:

A user on X, who appears to support PML-N based on their past posts and profile bio, shared a video of Ronaldo making a hand gesture with the following caption: “After Donald Trump, Ronaldo has also become Pakistan’s symbolic ambassador. Ronaldo has also set India ablaze by gesturing to drop a Rafale.”

The post gained over 163,000 views, 1,300 reposts and 5,500 likes.

The post did not mention the time, date and location of the video.

The same video with a similar claim was shared by multiple other users on X here, here, here, here, here, here and here; on Facebook; on TikTok here and here; on Youtube here and here and on Instagram here and here.

Collectively, the posts received over 109,572 views on X, 17,000 likes on Tiktok, over 15,000 likes on YouTube, and 2,000 likes on Facebook.

Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman and Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also shared the same clip on his X account, but without any caption. The post gained 1.1 million views, 2,900 reposts and 12,000 likes.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the matter.

Assessing the viral video clip showed that Ronaldo was wearing a jersey of the Al Nassr FC football club and other players in the clip were also in the same kits, with the background elements matching the club’s branding.

A reverse image search yielded the same video on a February 4, 2025, Instagram post on the club’s official account, with Ronaldo making the same hand gesture.

The date of the post, three months before the Pakistan-India conflict, confirms that the video and Ronaldo’s gesture have no connection to it or the downed Indian jets.

A keyword search yielded a February 3, 2025, news report from sports outlet ESPN titled: “Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice to reach 700 career club victories”.

As per the report, Ronaldo had celebrated his 700th career club win by scoring two goals in Al Nassr’s 4-0 victory over Al Wasl in an Asian Champions League match.

Another February 4, 2025, report on football website Goal titled, “The new siu?! Cristiano Ronaldo shows off new celebration after scoring twice in Al-Nassr’s AFC Champions League win”, said the athlete “revealed a new celebration” as he guided his team to a commanding win.

“With his team-mates around him during the celebration of his second, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star raised his hand, emulating an aeroplane flying and then gestured as if it crashed,” the report said.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video clip shows Cristiano Ronaldo making a gesture mocking the downing of Indian jets in the May 2025 conflict with Pakistan is *false.

The clip is old from February 2025 and has nothing to do with the Pak-India conflict.