Rumor – Lamine Yamal refused to shake Donald Trump’s hand during the World Cup award ceremony.
Analysis
A video showing a moment from the World Cup award ceremony began circulating on social media accompanied by a political interpretation. The footage shows Lamine Yamal greeting officials during the medal presentation and, at a certain point, a brief hesitation before contacting Donald Trump.
Based on this clip, several posts started claiming that the Spanish player had refused to shake hands with the President of the United States. In other versions, the recording is presented as a show of rejection toward the politician.
The content gained different versions on social media. In some of them, the video is simply cut at the moment of hesitation, while other posts feature an edit that alters what actually happened during the ceremony. Check out the message circulating on social media:
Version 1: Respect to Spanish footballer Lamine Yamal for rejecting Trump’s handshake. Several players ignored the unwanted intruder and war criminal Trump at the World Cup medal ceremony. Version 2: No handshake for Trump from Lamine Yamal
Fact-Check
To clarify what happened, we analyzed the official broadcast of the event, the origin of the different versions, and the athlete’s recent history. Below, we answer the main questions: 1) Did Yamal refuse to shake Donald Trump’s hand? 2) What happened between Yamal and Donald Trump at the World Cup award ceremony? 3) Are there other similar fake news stories?
Did Yamal refuse to shake Donald Trump’s hand?
No. The claim that Lamine Yamal refused to greet the former US President is false. The posts use different manipulation strategies to mislead viewers.
In the first version of the rumor, an intentional edit of the broadcast was used: the video stops exactly at the moment Yamal greets the FIFA president and briefly pauses before extending his hand to Trump, giving the false impression that he turned his back and walked away without the courteous gesture.
The second version, which shows the player abruptly pulling his hand away, is digitally altered content created using artificial intelligence tools. In the unedited original video, it is possible to observe that the handshake between both occurs normally, without any form of publicly demonstrated boycott.
What happened between Yamal and Donald Trump at the World Cup award ceremony?
During the walk through the medal presentation protocol, there was indeed a brief moment of hesitation on the part of the young athlete when greeting the line of officials. However, when analyzing the full scene and the pace of the athletes’ movement on the podium, it is merely a slight mismatch in timing and flow, with no indication that it was a deliberate act or an organized political protest by the Spanish footballer.
Right after the brief pause between gestures, Yamal extends his hand and greets Donald Trump before continuing toward the other organization members and his teammates to celebrate the achievement.
Are there other similar fake news stories?
Yes. Due to the immense global exposure gained by the young winger in a short period, his name has been repeatedly linked to fabricated statements and false scenarios on social media following major tournaments. Boatos.org has already debunked other similar incidents involving the player.
Among the recorded cases, a false claim circulated that Yamal dedicated the World Cup title to Neymar as his major idol. On another occasion, posts invented that Yamal made statements endorsing specific foreign political candidates. Finally, even more elaborate conspiracy theories gained traction, such as the one claiming that the World Cup final was a secret passage ritual from Messi to Yamal.
Conclusion
It is not true that Lamine Yamal refused to shake Donald Trump’s hand during the World Cup award ceremony. The player experienced a brief moment of hesitation, but the full footage shows that he greeted the President of the United States immediately after. The version presenting the episode as a deliberate refusal uses a clip that omits the rest of the interaction, while other versions were manipulated using artificial intelligence. There is no evidence that Yamal intended to make a political statement during the ceremony.
Fake news ❌
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