This is not footballer Cristiano Ronaldo reading the Quran

What is the claim?

A video circulating on social media shows a man in a white shirt holding the Quran, with claims that it depicts Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo reading from the Islamic holy book. A TikTok user captioned the video “Ronaldo reciting Quran,” while another post stated, “@cristiano in Arabic day 3 . . #cr7 #ronaldo #CristianoRonaldo #cristiano #trend #Ronaldo #CristianoRonaldo #SaudiArabia.” This post received 1.7 million likes and over 58,000 shares on TikTok, and has also been shared on YouTube, archived here.

Screenshot of the viral video circulating online. (Source: TikTok/YouTube/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the man in the video is not Ronaldo, but a lookalike of the Portuguese footballer.

Here are the facts

A reverse image search revealed that the same video was originally posted on the TikTok account of Bewar Abdullah (@bewarabdullah) (archived here) on July 20, 2021, with the caption “Eat Mubarek🕌 (sic).” Abdullah’s TikTok account boasts 1.7 million followers. Further investigation into Abdullah’s Facebook and Instagram accounts indicates he resides in Birmingham, U.K.

Screenshot of the Bewar Abdullah’s video. (Source: TikTok)

Additional information from a December 8, 2022 article by Diario AS, a Spanish sports newspaper, confirms Abdullah is a lookalike of Ronaldo, who gained social media fame for his resemblance to the footballer. Originally from Iraq, Abdullah relocated to the U.K. in 2019. 

British news media also reported on Abdullah’s popularity, noting invitations from football fans to children's birthday parties due to his likeness to Ronaldo, and significant earnings from his newfound fame. Sport Brief, another sports news outlet, corroborates these details.

The verdict

A video of Bewar Abdullah, an Iraqi national living in the U.K. who resembles Cristiano Ronaldo, has been shared with a false claim that it depicts the Portuguese footballer reading the Quran.