The fake transfer
Paul Pogba was suddenly linked to Fortuna Sittard via a fake X post, but the alleged free transfer was entirely fabricated. A Dutch X account, Dannyboesoe, posed as transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano and spread the story, which was later picked up by two Portuguese sports newspapers and removed within about twelve hours.
The rumor began Thursday evening on X, where Dannyboesoe posted that Pogba would move from AS Monaco to Fortuna Sittard after his free departure. The account name and the style of the post were chosen to make it appear as if the information came from the well-known transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Spread and reaction
The post quickly became a viral sensation, with more than four million views on X. The fake transfer attracted the attention of major Portuguese sports newspapers. O Jogo and Record published articles about a possible arrival of Pogba in Limburg, but later removed these pieces after it became clear the post came from a parody account.
Dannyboesoe responded himself after the post went viral. “Deze grap verliep niet volgens plan” (“This joke did not go as planned”), the account wrote, making it clear how far the spread of the fake story had gone.
Club and media response
For Fortuna Sittard it remained an unexpected role in a story that was never a real transfer. Pogba was linked to the club by a misleading post, after which the Portuguese articles were removed again after about twelve hours. The incident raises the question of whether sports media should check parody accounts more thoroughly.
The fake transfer of Pogba to Fortuna Sittard was removed from Portuguese media within a few hours, making the story a short-lived international sensation.
