The online claims allege that 25,000 €7 coins honouring the Portuguese football star would enter circulation, with a purchase price of €7.50.
The Portuguese central bank has refuted claims circulating online and in various media outlets that it’s releasing a coin in honour of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Banco de Portugal said in a press release that it hasn’t issued, nor is it planning to issue, any collector or commemorative coins dedicated to the Portuguese football star.
It added that the annual programme for producing coins and medals is approved solely by the Portuguese Mint and Official Printing Office, which has also publicly denied issuing a Ronaldo coin.
The authorities were forced to speak out after online news reports and social media posts making the claims gained traction.
The online claims allege that 25,000 €7 coins would enter circulation, with a purchase price of €7.50.
Some added that the coin could eventually fetch a price of €144,000 due to its rarity, gold content and Ronaldo’s fame.
Many of the posts and articles share a picture of what the supposed coin would look like, but it is AI-generated.
It generally lacks the finer details that you’d expect to see on a coin, and most of the characters lining its edges are made up, which is a common feature of AI images.
For good measure, the websites of both Portugal’s central bank and the Mint reveal which collector and commemorative coins have been issued over the past year.
There have been coins honouring Portugal’s Olympic team, the Skating Federation and its participation in the Euro 2024 championship, but there’s nothing on Ronaldo.
False claims about a CR7 coin seemingly go back at least as far as September, after he scored his 900th career goal during a Nations League match against Croatia. Fact-checkers debunked those claims at the time.
Regardless of the coin’s authenticity, Portugal has honoured Ronaldo, undoubtedly one of the country’s most famous names of modern times, at various points throughout the years.
The airport in his native Madeira officially bears his name, and statues of Ronaldo, widely regarded as one of the best football players of all time, can be seen in various spots throughout the island.
Portugal has also issued coins commemorating individuals in the past — last year, for example, it released a €5 coin in honour of the 16th-century poet Luís de Camões, often touted as the country’s answer to Shakespeare or Dante.
Such an accolade, however, still eludes Ronaldo for now.
