To lie by omission is bad enough, but to lie about Jesus by distorting the truth is demonic.Sunday on the social media platform X, multiple media outlets depicted German midfielder Felix Nmecha as crowning himself after scoring a goal in the sixth minute of his club’s 7-1 victory in the opening round of the World Cup over underdog and first-time tournament participant Curaçao.Nmecha, however, did the exact opposite.As the website Evangelical Focus put it: “Nmecha celebrated his goal by kneeling on the ground, pointing his right hand towards the sky and placing an imaginary crown on the pitch, a symbolism of giving all the glory to the Lord.”That didn’t stop the distortions:“Felix Nmecha crowned himself,” Bleacher Report wrote on the social media platform X.A photo of Nmecha appearing to place an imaginary crown on his head accompanied the post.Felix Nmecha crowned himself pic.twitter.com/0tj7GYqUSs— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 14, 2026Worse yet, ESPN UK actually edited images to advance the “crowned himself” narrative.In an image posted to X, ESPN UK showed side-by-side photos of the post-goal demonstration. On the left side, Nmacha appeared on one knee reaching down in front of him. Then, the photo on the right side showed him appearing to place the crown atop his head.Felix Nmecha’s celebration after scoring against Curaçao pic.twitter.com/leq2PwkpgB— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) June 14, 2026That actually reversed the two position.Instead, a short clip posted to X clearly showed the soccer star get down on one knee, point skyward, remove the imaginary crown from his head, and then place it on the ground in front of him.Felix Nmecha found the net for Germany… but his celebration said even more than the goal.After scoring, he symbolically laid down his crown, a reminder that every gift, every victory and every moment of glory ultimately belongs to Jesus.#TheKingsReturn pic.twitter.com/HEjQRS0dQO— The Kings Return (@_TheKingsReturn) June 14, 2026In other words, it is impossible to watch the clip and then describe it as Nmecha crowning himself. Either the folks at Bleacher Report and ESPN UK failed to watch the clip, watched it and failed to understand it, or they intentionally deceived.Christian charity does not require us to assume the first possibility. The second is entirely possible, because the religious ignorance of the mainstream media is almost legendary.But the third possibility can’t be discounted. After all, for years we have seen media figures treat Christian athletes with disrespect.And in the case of ESPN UK — where the images are chronologically reversed, which obviously is no accident — it’s almost impossible to conclude otherwise.Fortunately, many X users called out the deception.Why international lie about his celebration? Is it because it was him praising Jesus Christ?— Corgito (@Shaddai_001) June 15, 2026This is so distasteful of you all. It was obvious he was laying down his crown for Jesus, but you had to change the narrative to say what you want it to say.— Silas Bamigbola (@ZionsilasB) June 15, 2026You lot are a disgrace. He was laying the crown down to Glorify God and Honour Jesus Christ— FINE AFRICAN MAN (@itzAlwayzGABY) June 15, 2026As it happens, Nmecha did not act on his own.The King’s Return, which the sports-and-faith-focused news outlet Sports Spectrum characterized as a “player-led movement across the World Cup,” features many Christian soccer stars.“The world may crown us, but we choose to crown Him. Many nations. One gesture. Every crown laid at the feet of Jesus,” the movement’s website reads.The reverent gesture comes from the Book of Revelation.“[T]he twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:10-11)Nor did Nmecha offer the only visible sign of Christian faith in the contest.After the match, a group of players from both Germany and Curaçao came together in prayer. Defender Jonathan Tah, No. 4, was among the German players.It’s the first time two nations have ever prayed together at a World Cup After Germany’s 7-1 victory… one of the player said even though they’re opponents on the field, they’re all brothers in Christ pic.twitter.com/4B9DX92JMm— Oyindamola (@dammiedammie35) June 14, 2026We began this post by lamenting multiple media outlets’ acts of deception.We will conclude, however, by celebrating Nmecha, Tah, and their fellow Christian players.For one thing, by symbolically removing their crowns, those players have captured the true essence of Christian humility. In fact, they might have captured it better than any gesture in sports.Combine that with the World Cup’s global visibility, and The King’s Return could prove to be one of the most important evangelizing movements in recent memory.This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.The post Mainstream Media Deceptively Twists the Truth About World Cup Star’s Jesus-Honoring Celebration appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.