REVEALED: Premier League stars are paying up to £4,000 a month to outsource their social media accounts, with players under fire for lack of authenticity after embarrassing mishaps for Phil Foden and Joe Hart
- Phil Foden and Joe Hart are among those embarrassed by their own social media
- They are among host of stars paying for companies to manage their accounts
- Players are forking out between £1,000-£4,000 a month to such firms
- Many players have same companies and therefore almost identical posts
Footballers are paying as much as £4,000 a month to outsource their social media activity, Sportsmail can disclose.
Manchester City star Phil Foden was left less than impressed on Wednesday night after a member of his social media team posted a tweet that appeared to call out Kylian Mbappe ahead of his side’s Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Foden, fresh from scoring the winner against Borussia Dortmund, hadn’t approved the tweet and it was subsequently deleted.
Phil Foden was furious with the tweet sent without his approval, which tagged Kylian Mbappe
Joe Hart apologised for his social media gaffe (right) after Tottenham’s Europa League exit
Last month, Joe Hart was forced to apologise after his social media team posted the message ‘Job done’ accompanied by a tick after Tottenham’s humiliating 3-0 second-leg defeat by Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League.
Foden, 20, lists media content specialists Ten Toes Media on his profiles — it is unclear if they made Wednesday’s blunder.
Players are forking out between £1,000 and £4,000 a month to such firms to handle their social media activity.
The amount players pay varies based on what level of service is required.
Industry sources have indicated that some players have no involvement with their own social media accounts at all, despite the fact it can take a matter of seconds to compose a post.
Foden is among the Premier League stars paying for firms to run their social media
Gary Neville tweeted this morning about Foden’s tweet and players running their accounts
The lack of authenticity from some players’ social media activity has come under fire in recent weeks, with the fact a number of footballers use the same firms to handle their accounts blamed for a host of very similar posts.
After a string of near identical messages were posted on Twitter by England players during last month’s international break, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville said: ‘Do any of the lads post themselves? They don’t sound authentic. Either be on it yourself with your own thoughts or stay off it completely.’
Neville added on Thursday: ‘Lads, run your own accounts! Your independent thoughts and authenticity is at stake. It’s your voice, not anyone else’s.’