The dreaded terrorist organisation Islamic State- ISIS has released a poster and threatened to behead football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in a packed football stadium. By releasing this poster, the ISIS has targeted football's biggest stars, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, just weeks ahead of the FIFA 2018 Football World Cup which will be held in Russia beginning from June 14.

Cristiano Ronaldo will represent Portugal and Lionel Messi will turn up in Argentina jersey to fulfil the long dream of winning a world cup for their countries. The Real Madrid and Barcelona forwards are not only the biggest names in Football but also the biggest names in the world of sports.

The doctored posters must be a cause for concern among the fans and organisers of the world cup and should alert the security personnel. The mock images were released on messaging channel Telegram and show masked men behind the two superstars in a packed stadium, slicing at their necks with blades.

One of the doctored images showing Messi at the mercy of ISIS terrorist. (Photo Credit: Telegram)

Major international sporting event in Russia have been threatened with terrorist attacks previously too. Ahead of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, in a video statement released, two Islamist militants announced their intention to carry out jihadist attacks in Russia. But they did not succeed in their sinister intentions. However, the ISIS is expert at carrying out suicide bombing attacks and hence the security and football officials would ensure complete security for the tournament, fans and of course, Ronaldo and Messi.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 17, 2018 10:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).