Akcelrod the Fake Footballer Who Almost Signed Contract With UCL Team

Gregoire Akcelrod tricked Europe's elite - including one Champions League team - to give him a chance by sending them a fake CV.

Akcelrod had wanted to play football since he was 10 years old but was so bad that his own dad banned him from playing.

He did not give up, though, eventually playing for PSG’s amateur side in fifth-tier French football – and this experience formed the base of his elaborate plan.

The amateur footballer decided to create a fake website claiming he was with the Ligue 1 champions’ reserves, copying newspaper match reports that featured forward Nicolas Anelka’s name to paste his own in.

Sending it to English clubs, he managed to get trials at Swindon, Norwich and Bournemouth.

This saw CSKA Sofia come knocking in 2009, offering him a three-year deal after qualifying for the Champions League.

But Akcelrod’s secret got out.