Millions of people searched for him, shared him, and even declared him the most attractive man in the stadiums. 😂 The problem: he never existed.
During the broadcast of the Portugal vs. Ghana match at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the cameras caught a supposed Portuguese fan with a perfect smile, expressive eyes, and green and red colors worn proudly. Within minutes, his image exploded on social media. They called him “the most handsome fan of the 2026 World Cup”, and theories spread that he was an actor, a model, even a retired footballer. Sports outlets Sport TV, Record, and A Bola had to come out and debunk each of those rumors. And for good reason: the figure is not a supporter who traveled from Lisbon with his scarf. It is an image generated by artificial intelligence. 🤖
So if you had already saved him to your favorites thinking you’d look for him after the World Cup… bad news. He doesn’t have Instagram, he doesn’t have a passport, and technically he doesn’t have a face. What he does have is the informal record for being the fictional character most often shared as real during a football match. Who would have thought AI would also qualify for Group F? 😅
