Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien was caught in the middle of a hoax that claimed he had the deadly Ebola virus.
Rumours emerged on Sunday night that the Ghana and AC Milan midfielder had contracted Ebola while on international duty.
Reports originating from West Africa and Twitter began to emerge, with one source even using quotes from a 'spokesman' of the Italian club.
Riccardo Colli - who does work for the club - is reported to have said: "It has come to a big shock to everyone involved with the club but we are optimistic for Essien.
"He is a very strong person and the Ebola has been caught in the early stages. He’s in experts hands so he should be fine."
However the hoax was soon debunked when Essien himself took to Twitter to deny the rumours."
He posted "No truth in internet rumours that I have contracted Ebola.i m very well & I'm doing very gud & will be training as usual tomorrow. #falsenews"
Essien then posted a picture on his Instagram account happy and smiling
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments