Fake Cristiano Ronaldo video pushes USWR token during World Cup attention

A fabricated video of Cristiano Ronaldo has been circulating since early July falsely urging fans to buy a token called USWR, as the Portugal captain drew intense attention during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In the staged clip, a fake Ronaldo tells viewers, “I’m not a big investment advice kind of guy, but if you put every dollar you have into USWR, you’ll be very happy at the end of July,” even though he never made that statement. The altered footage appears to use AI-generated audio layered onto a real post-match interview. The original video came from Diario AS, which filmed Ronaldo in the mixed zone after Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Croatia on July 3. In the authentic interview, he spoke in English, praised Croatia captain Luka Modrić, a former teammate at Real Madrid, called him “a legend of football,” and wished him luck. The clip promoted a website named uswr[.]ai and spread across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads and YouTube, with wider circulation after Portugal was knocked out by Spain in the round of 16. AFP said analysis using the Hiya[.]com voice-cloning detector in the InVID Verification Plugin indicated the audio was “probably made by AI.” The Crypto Times separately reported that Ronaldo has not promoted USWR on his official website or social media accounts. AFP reported that the token is tied to a claim of ownership in the “United States Water Reserve,” and said the branding may have been designed to sound plausible because Ronaldo has a real stake in Maravilha Décimal, a high-end bottled water brand. The USWR case is a fake endorsement rather than a genuine Ronaldo-linked project, but it lands amid broader crypto-related scrutiny around football figures. Cryptopolitan reported in May that a Barcelona court is investigating six former Sevilla players over the Shirtum project, including Ivan Rakitić and Papu Gómez, with Spanish investors saying losses could exceed €24 million. Experts say fans should verify any promotion through an athlete’s official accounts and treat promises to invest “every dollar” or receive a payoff by month-end as clear warning signs.