Did Cristiano Ronaldo announce his conversion to Islam? No, that's not true. There is no record of him declaring a religious conversion to Islam despite the claim going viral following his celebration during a match when he bowed and touched his forehead to the ground in the manner of a Sujud, an Islamic prayer ritual.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published on TikTok by @mohammedalmograbi22 on May 25 with a caption that reads:
"Ronaldo officially announces his conversion to Islam. Cristiano Ronaldo, the well known Portuguese athlete, and the winner of 5 golden boots, announces his conversion to Islam. Oh God, dearest Islam and Muslims."
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Tue May 30 10:10:28 2023 UTC)
The claim started following a football match between al Nasr and al Shabab, when Ronaldo, playing for al Nasr, performed Sujud after scoring a goal. Sujud is a Muslim manner of praying and a way of praising God by facing Mecca, and bowing down with the head touching the earth. The claim of a conversion went viral with many accounts using altered or misleading photos, such as in a video which claimed that Ronaldo met with a Muslim Imam at a mosque in order to convert.
There is no statement, record or evidence from the official website of Cristiano Ronaldo, the official website of al Nasr, or his twitter, instagram and facebook accounts to indicate he may have converted to Islam.
Moreover, the claim has been debunked by highwia.com, an Arabic media outlet focusing on Gulf countries, sportmannor.com and newarab.com.
