A bizarre twist in the tale of an already strange story involving former Manchester United defensive midfielder Remi Moses has now come to light.
A recent report claims that an impostor convinced an entire Greek island community that he was the ex-Red Devils player.
According to the Daily Mail, a British man living on Zakynthos allegedly adopted Moses’ identity for years. He even went as far as to show locals old footage and insisted it was him in his prime.
The report also shows the extent to which the deception ran deep on the island, with mourners even gathering at a church in Argassi when the man was pronounced dead as they truly believed they were paying tribute to a genuine United icon.
How it all unravelled
The Daily Mail explains, however, that fans began questioning details within 24 hours – which prompted a statement from the Moses family confirming Remi is alive and well in Manchester.
Remi Moses Jr. also described how surreal it was to hear the fake death news announcement, which made him frantically call his father afterwards. Fortunately, his panic dissipated when Remi Snr. picked up the phone.
In addition, the report goes on to say that the real Moses has never even been to Zakynthos.
The family’s reaction, however, was initial shock followed by later appreciation for the tributes paid in his name.
Why this is strange
The real Moses made over 150 appearances for the English club and won the FA Cup in 1983 and 1985. He is also United’s first-ever black goal-scorer and played alongside the great Bryan Robson, but unfortunately injuries curtailed his time at the top level.
This is what makes the story so peculiar.
First, a former United player’s identity was stolen by a random person halfway across Europe. Second, the fake Moses narrative was so convincing that it tricked people into thinking they had a living and breathing part of football history amongst them. Third, Moses Snr. was able to see the world’s reaction to his passing, while still alive and well.
Whatever the motivation of the late Kenneth Simms (the impostor’s real name), this fabrication has exposed just how far Old Trafford’s influence extends.
Featured image via Getty Images
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