Legendary footballer Lionel Messi visited several Indian cities as part of his GOAT India Tour 2025. Amid the buzz, a set of images purportedly showing Messi posing with Indian cricketer Virat Kohli at a stadium has been widely circulated on social media.
The above post can be seen here (archive)
NM VERIFIED
NewsMobile verified the viral images and found them to be AI-generated.
A reverse image search, along with keyword-based checks, did not yield any credible news reports, verified photographs, or posts from the players involved. Notably, neither mainstream media outlets nor the official social media handles of Lionel Messi or Virat Kohli have shared any such image.
Given the stature of both global sporting icons, a meeting between Messi and Kohli would have drawn extensive national and international media coverage — further raising doubts about the claim.
A closer inspection of the image reveals several red flags commonly associated with AI-generated visuals, including uneven lighting, unnatural facial blending, and overly smooth background textures, pointing to digital manipulation.
To corroborate the findings, NewsMobile analysed the images using the AI-detection tool Sightengine, which flagged the images as AI-generated.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi did meet cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on December 14, 2025 — an interaction that was officially shared and widely reported, unlike the viral claim in question.
In conclusion, the viral image claiming to show Lionel Messi with Virat Kohli is not genuine. NewsMobile’s verification confirms that the picture is AI-generated, with no credible evidence or official confirmation to support the claim.
