Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes fell victim to a social media hack late Sunday night, with hackers posting a series of bizarre and offensive messages on his X account.
The incident occurred just hours after Fernandes played the full 90 minutes in United’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in the third round of the FA Cup.
The first unusual post read, “Join Macclesfield FC. Excited for the future.” The message referenced sixth-tier Macclesfield, who had knocked holders Crystal Palace out of the competition on Saturday.
Shortly afterwards, another post appeared stating, “At the end of the day I will always be a winner. No matter what,” with a money bag emoji.
The hacker then published several posts, including remarks aimed at female footballer Alisha Lehmann and social media personality KSI.
The most widely viewed post targeted Manchester United’s ownership , stating, “let’s get rid of INEOS.” Sir Jim Ratcliffe owns INspec Ethylene Oxide Specialities (INEOS) and serves as a minority owner at the club, overseeing football operations.
As fans began questioning the posts, Manchester United confirmed that hackers had compromised Fernandes’s account and urged supporters not to engage with any posts or direct messages.
The hacker then shared that warning on Fernandes’s page, adding,”Make sure you guys stay alert for any hacks.”
Other posts included challenges such as “1v1 fifa @LukeTheNuke180” and a controversial statement claiming, “jake paul beat AJ but you aren’t ready for that conversation.”
One post drew attention when the hacked account replied to 18-year-old United player Shea Lacey, who had received a red card against Brighton and later issued a public apology. The reply read, “just don’t do it again.”
The account continued posting and interacting with users past midnight while club officials worked to regain control.
Fernandes had maintained his X account since April 2019, accumulating just over 500 posts. His most recent legitimate update came in October, celebrating his 300th appearance for Manchester United.
As of now, all the hacked posts have been deleted from the account.