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CLAIM: A viral Facebook post by Red Devils Glory claims that Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo travelled to Texas to adopt a 3-year-old boy whose parents died in a flood.
VERDICT: False. The picture is potentially AI-generated, and no media network has reported such adoption.
Full Text
A viral post circulating on social media claims that Kobbie Mainoo, a Manchester United footballer, travelled to Texas to adopt a 3-year-old boy whose parents were swept away by floodwaters. The post, shared by a Facebook page called Red Devils Glory, is accompanied by a touching photo of Mainoo comforting a crying child dressed in a dirty Manchester United jersey. The post alleges that Mainoo flew on a private jet after seeing the boy’s photo on social media and took shocking steps upon arrival.
Verification
A Reverse Image Search of the photo shows no matches on credible news platforms or sports news agencies. Instead, the image bears multiple signs of artificial intelligence generation. These include unnatural skin textures, inconsistent lighting, and unrealistic blending of elements like clothing logos and facial features.
Notably, both individuals in the image are wearing Manchester United jerseys, including the young child, which appears suspiciously staged.
A similar narrative was shared on Facebook, but this time with the image of Real Madrid and English midfielder, Jude Bellingham, as can be seen here.
The researcher subjected the Kobby Mainoo picture to an AI test on Illuminarty, which confirmed that the photo is 83.2% AI-generated.
A thorough search of reliable news outlets like BBC Sport, Sky Sports, CNN, and Manchester United’s official website, as well as trusted sports platforms, returned no evidence of such a story. If such a significant and heart-touching humanitarian gesture had happened, it would have been widely covered by international media. Instead, there are zero reports or press releases confirming any trip by Kobbie Mainoo to Texas or involvement in any adoption case.
A check on Kobbie Mainoo’s X account does not mention the story. He has not posted any such photo or made any public statement regarding this supposed adoption.
Conclusion
The claim that Kobbie Mainoo adopted a 3-year-old boy in Texas is false, and the accompanying image is AI-generated. No credible evidence supports the adoption claim, and the image does not appear in any real news outlet.
