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Manchester City and England star Phil Foden has been forced to seek legal help after becoming the target of a shocking online hoax that spread false claims about his children.
The 25-year-old midfielder and his partner Rebecca Cooke have instructed lawyers after trolls circulated fake stories online alleging that one of their children had died and another was battling cancer.
According to reports, the fabricated posts, accompanied by AI-generated images depicting the couple in tears, first appeared on Facebook before spreading rapidly across other platforms. One post falsely claimed that the pair’s six-year-old son Ronnie had passed away, while another fake “confession” from an account named Man City Fan Lover alleged that their four-year-old daughter True was seriously ill.
The disturbing fabrications quickly gained traction, leading to Foden’s name trending online and prompting the family to take urgent steps to contain the damage.
Cooke, 24, who shares three children with the England international, publicly addressed the issue in a heartfelt statement after receiving an influx of concerned messages.
She wrote:
“We are aware of the pages and accounts spreading these stories. They are completely false and very disturbing. I don’t understand how people can make up these things about anyone, especially children. It’s sickening.”
“We are all absolutely fine thank god and thank you for all your concerns we are doing everything we can to stop them. Please report any posts or pages you come across sharing these false stories.”
Sources close to the family told The Sun that Foden has hired a legal team to work with social media companies to track down and remove the false content. The family’s primary concern is protecting their children from distress caused by the malicious material.
Foden, who has been in a long-term relationship with Cooke since their teenage years, has generally kept his family life private despite his profile as one of England’s most prominent footballers.
Now, the couple are determined to identify those responsible for spreading the lies, with legal advisers reportedly considering defamation and harassment claims against the creators of the hoax.
Featured Image Credit: Unsplash / Braden Hopkins, Instagram / @officialronniefoden_
