Amid Virat Kohli row, German influencer claims she was offered money to speak against the cricketer

Virat Kohli and Lizlaz (Pics/ Instagram)

Virat Kohli is one of India's most successful cricketers and also the country's most-followed individual on Instagram. His social media activity often makes headlines. Recently, a like from his account on a post by German influencer Lizlaz sparked widespread attention. Now, days after the controversy, the influencer has claimed she was offered money to speak negatively about the cricketer.

German influencer makes shocking claim

In an interaction with FilmyMantra, Lizlaz said, "Some journalists even offered me money to say bad things about him and make allegations he never made. But why would I do that?"

"I was very happy and a little emotional about it, but I never expected something like this to happen," she said. She added that the sudden media attention became uncomfortable, saying, "Some people even pressured me to say things I didn't want to say."

"So why would I say bad things about him for money? I'm not that kind of person," she added.

Lizlaz also revealed that she did not notice the like on her post until news portals picked it up. "I found out because people started calling me. I didn't even see it in my notifications."

She said that within hours, social media was flooded with messages and online portals were full of stories about her. "I opened Google and there were pages and pages about me. It felt very unreal," she added.

Talking about the cultural difference in coverage, Lizlaz joked, "In India, people were asking, ‘Who is Lizlaz?' But in Germany, the headlines were asking, ‘Who is Virat Kohli?' because cricket is not very popular there."

Lizlaz defends Kohli

Lizlaz also defended Kohli, saying he had no bad intentions and probably never wanted this media attention. "It was just a like. He did nothing inappropriate," she said.

She added that she has been openly supporting Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the IPL franchise associated with Kohli, and often posts India-related content, which may explain why her profile appeared on his feed.

Calling Kohli her favourite cricketer, Lizlaz said he is "the Messi or Ronaldo of Asia."

Meanwhile, the controversy opened several new doors for the influencer. She received offers for reality shows, brand collaborations and entertainment projects overnight. She also got an opportunity to anchor an ICC cricket match between Germany and Austria. "I absolutely loved it. I did the post-match moderation, player interviews and trophy ceremony. Being part of the game felt amazing," she said.