In the world of news and journalism, we have seen plenty of fake speculations spread around. No matter how real it may seem, some details may just be the fictional creations of a particular human mind. It certainly looks like this was the case when a journalist named Simon Rowntree spread false rumors about soccer icon and legend Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi’s ancestral bloodline connects him to an SS officer called Gerhard Bohne, who fled to Argentina after WWII. Bohne was responsible for the logistics of Hitler’s euthanasia program. The program killed 200,000+ civilians.#Messi𓃵 has nazi blood. Is this your GOAT now?
— Simon Rowntree (@SimonRowntree1) December 14, 2022
A while ago, the account’s user tweeted that Messi was connected to Gerhard Bohne. He was the administrator and lawyer for Adolf Hitler’s organization. The user raised the unusual question of whether Messi was still the GOAT of soccer even with certain connections. This did not sit well with fans, as many called them out for the fake news.
Where is Lionel Messi from?
We all know Messi as the ‘Little boy from Rosario’. He recently won the biggest honor there is for his country; the FIFA World Cup. Both his parents, Jorge Messi and Celia Maria Cuccittini are from Argentina as well. However, according to Bleacher Report, the 7x Ballon d’Or winner belongs to Italian heritage.
It is suggested that Messi’s father, Jorge’s ancestors were from a small Italian town called Recanati. However, at the time, reports mention that Jorge’s family is from Ancona, a city in Italy. Whatever the rumors may suggest, it is quite evident that the PSG superstar must be connected to Italian or Argentinian heritage. This debunks the claims of Simon Rowntree, who came forward with outrageous claims and received the wrath of fans online.
He is of italian origins, how it can be
— chiorbone (@aledonquijote) December 18, 2022
Dumb
— Rowan Trollope (@rowantrollope) December 19, 2022
Annnnnd blocked.
— Michael Montero (@MonteroOnBoxing) December 19, 2022
Leaked image of you‼️‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/Ho4EEy4DF2
— Someone (@Someone69980) December 17, 2022
😅😅😅😅😅😅🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 this is ridiculousness
— José Vallecilla (@Javallecilla) December 19, 2022
u are joking right?
— NCH (@fatnch) December 16, 2022
It is quite obvious that the account aims to spread false information on the internet. For those who don’t know, Simon Rowntree claims to be a ‘Football journalist for Forest Echo News’. Before the ‘news website’ got its Twitter account suspended, the account’s owners mentioned that it was a “Parody” account. This clearly indicates Simon Rowntree is aiming to cause a media frenzy with false claims about Messi’s ancestral links.