Manchester United issued a statement last night after Bruno Fernandes’ X account was hacked. A series of posts were posted to Fernandez’s account shortly after 11pm on Sunday night. In the first of a series of bizarre posts, the hacker wrote: “Join Macclesfield FC. Excited for the future,” referring to the National League North side who beat FA Cup holders Crystal Palace on Saturday.
“That’s why we need to get paid more,” the account added, although the post about the cryptocurrency launch has now been deleted. Attention quickly turned to United’s struggles, with one posting saying: “Let’s get rid of INEOS.”
Over time, the messages became more explicit and included sexual comments about former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, women’s soccer star Alisha Lehmann and adult content creator Bonnie Blue. There were also racist messages, with one of his final posts showing an image from United’s 7-0 defeat at Liverpool in 2023.
However, United acted quickly to warn supporters not to engage with social media posts from Fernandes’ account. In a post on X, they said: “Bruno Fernandes’ X account has been hacked. Supporters should not engage with the posts or direct messages.”
Before the incident, Fernandez’s account had been active since April 2019, with over 500 posts. His most recent legitimate update came in October when he marked his 300th appearance for the club.
Fernandes had just played the full 90 minutes earlier in the FA Cup against Brighton & Hove Albion as his side’s season deteriorated. In the third round at Old Trafford, the Seagulls won 2-1 with goals from Brajan Gruda and Danny Welbeck.
Benjamin Sesco equalized in the final minute, but teenage substitute Shay Lacey was sent off for two offenses, ending their hopes of winning a silver medal just 11 days before the start of 2026, and they faltered at the first hurdle in the Carabao Cup.
After the game, caretaker manager Darren Fletcher said: “It was a mixed performance. We started well but at the goal we faltered.”
“At half-time I asked them to move the ball with tempo and not just calmly. When we got back up 2-1, I thought we could do it. The crowd was excited, the energy was high, but we couldn’t get it over the line to equalize.”
