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Claim: A viral photo circulating on Facebook shows Ghanaian actor Kwaku Manu posing with French footballer Kylian Mbappé, suggesting the two had met in person.
Verdict: False! The image was digitally manipulated and generated using AI. DUBAWA’s verification shows that the two individuals have not taken such a photograph together.
Full Text
A Facebook page named Viral News Blog Ghana, with over 160,000 followers, shared a photo showing Ghanaian actor Kwaku Manu with Real Madrid football star Kylian Mbappé.
Mbappé is seen holding a football while posing next to Kwaku Manu in the image. The post quickly gained attention and was captioned: “Woooow Ghanaian Actor KWEKU MANU really go far ooo. See him and footballer Mbaape. Eiii this is nice, man is global now, Congratulations to him [SIC]”
Since it was posted, the image has attracted significant engagement— Over 26,000 likes, 760+ comments, 94 shares, and numerous bookmarks.
While some users expressed admiration, others were sceptical, pointing out potential flaws in the photo. Below are some of the top comments:
Tim Khojo Woodred: “Why should Mbappe hold the ball before we’ll know it’s Mbappe the football player?”
Agbozo Joshua: “Eiii this is real editing Ghanafoɔ nono.”
Champion Buffon: “It’s not real editing. I have only Kwaku Manu’s picture.”
WesternApril Jnr: “See y’all saying just Kwaku Manu and he has gone far and all that are [nonsense]…he has been to overseas so what’s so special?”
Richness in Marketing: “So he is taller than Mbappe?”
Given the virality and mixed reactions, DUBAWA verified the image’s authenticity.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a Google Reverse Image Search, which revealed that Kylian Mbappé’s portion of the image was initially taken on March 19, 2024, after he scored a hat-trick in a Ligue 1 match against Montpellier.
In the original image, Mbappé is seen posing alone in the locker room with a match ball.
Kwaku Manu’s image, on the other hand, was sourced from his official Instagram account, posted on November 8, 2024.
In the original photo, he is seen posing with a woman with short dyed hair, not Mbappé.
This indicates that both images were taken on separate occasions and later digitally merged to create the misleading composite.
Further analysis of the viral image shows signs typically associated with AI-generated or manipulated content:
- Kwaku Manu’s left fingers appear partially missing—a common flaw in AI image generation.
- The lighting and shadow inconsistencies between the two figures suggest the image was not taken in a single frame.
- The full-body appearance (including shoes and trousers) of both individuals was not present in their respective original photos, yet appears in the generated image.
- A closer look at Kwaku Manu’s hand resting on Mbappé’s shoulder reveals unnatural angles and blending —another indication of digital fabrication.
Additionally, no such image exists on either Kwaku Manu’s or Kylian Mbappé’s official social media pages, which would have been expected if the photo were authentic.
Conclusion
The viral Facebook photo claiming to show Kumawood actor Kwaku Manu with football star Kylian Mbappé is false. The image was artificially generated using portions of unrelated, older photos and may have been enhanced using AI and photo-editing tools.
