Fact Check: Was X-Ray of Saudi Footballer Yasser Al-Shahrani's Skull Real?

The start of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup kicked off in explosive fashion when Saudi Arabia's national soccer team defeated one of the favourites, Argentina, in a stunning 2-1 victory at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.

Posts of jubilant fans spread across social media, following a surprise win against a side that has finished second three times in the global tournament's final, along with the two World Cups in its trophy cabinet.

However, the Saudi team's achievement was marred by an episode towards the end of the game, when Saudi defender Yasser Al-Shahrani suffered a nasty facial injury after an accidental clash with a teammate.

The defender was soon stretched off, and as concerns about his health spread among supporters, alleged "x-rays" of his injuries were shared on Twitter after the match.

The Claim

A tweet, posted on November 22, 2022, claims "X-rays scan [sic]" show that Saudi Arabian footballer Yasser Al-Shahrani "has suffered a fractured jaw and facial bones."

The tweet includes two 3D images of a skull with a number of large fractures from the bottom of his jaw up to his eye sockets.

The Facts

Many of soccer's leading lights have been ruled out of the World Cup following injuries preceding the tournament, including Senegal's Sadio Mane and France's Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante.

The French team suffered a further setback when defender Lucas Hernandez was dealt with an injury that put him out of the competition.

Saudi Arabia's surprise 2-1 win over Argentina in the Group C opener was also overshadowed when Al-Shahrani collided with goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais in stoppage time, with reports speculating the clash will put the 30-year-old on the sidelines.

While Al-Shahrani received an outpour of support from fans and well-wishers around the world, his "x-rays" shared on Twitter lack that same authenticity.

The images depict a completely split jaw and extensive breaks along his nose and near to his eye-sockets.

However, a video of Al-Shahrani, posted on Twitter on November 23, 2022, proves he suffered no such injury.

Cleveland Clinic, a "non-profit multi-specialty academic medical center" established in 1921, states on its website that both a fractured jaw or a dislocation can make it "difficult or impossible to talk or eat."

By contrast, the video of Al-Shahrani shows him upright in bed and speaking to the camera.

A Google translation of his comments indicates he said: "I wanted to reassure you about my state of health, I'm better... Don't forget me in your invocations. Congratulations to all for the victory. Thank you"

Photos of the soccer star show him with his front teeth, which in the "x-ray" appear to be fully broken.

As pointed out by others on Twitter, the "x-ray" also appears to be a CT scan; Newsweek has not been able to establish the provenance of the scan image.

A statement on the Saudi National Team Twitter said: "Yasser Al Shahrani left Hamad Medical Center in Doha heading to Riyadh's National Guard Hospital earlier this morning following the head injury sustained during yesterday's 2-1 victory over Argentina.

"The 30-year-old will now undergo surgery in the next few hours as per the medical
staff's recovery plan. We all wish Yasser a full and speedy recovery."

Newsweek has contacted the Saudi Arabian Football Federation for comment.

The Ruling

Misleading Material.

While Yasser Al-Shahrani required surgery after he was injured at Saudi Arabia's Group C opener against Argentina, photos of his "x-ray" shared on social media are not of him.

The 30-year-old spoke to the camera in a video posted the day after the match, a task that would have most likely been impossible if he had suffered the same injuries depicted in the scans.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team