# Rui Pinto: Hacker Who Exposed Manchester City

- Topic: football
- Source: [BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cwywld5v28jo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)
- Published: 2026-09-26
- Original: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cwywld5v28jo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Language: en
- Image: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/240/cpsprodpb/35d3/live/b39074f0-f4ed-11ef-896e-d7e7fb1719a4.jpg

## At a glance

- Rui Pinto founded Football Leaks in 2015 to expose hidden football dealings.
- Leaked documents revealed Manchester City’s internal emails on sponsorships, triggering 115 Premier League rule‑breach charges.
- The hacker’s background: grew up in Vila Nova de Gaia, excelled in computers, and lost his mother at 11.
- Journalists from Der Spiegel sifted millions of documents, publishing some of the sport’s most explosive revelations.

## Sources

- [BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cwywld5v28jo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)

## The story

Rui Pinto, a Portuguese hacker, launched Football Leaks in 2015 to reveal the hidden side of football.  He published a trove of confidential documents, including internal emails about Manchester City’s sponsorship deals and payments, which led to the club facing 115 Premier League rule‑breach charges and being found guilty of the majority of them.  Pinto’s leaks also targeted other clubs such as Benfica and FC Porto, and exposed communications involving high‑profile players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar.  Journalists from Germany’s Der Spiegel sifted through millions of documents, producing some of the sport’s most explosive stories.  A former geography teacher described Pinto as a normal, sociable student who excelled at computers, while his upbringing in Vila Nova de Gaia saw him lose his mother at age 11 and later work in a shoe factory.  The hacker was held in prison awaiting trial and later placed in witness protection.  His actions have sparked debate over the line between whistleblowing and criminal conduct, with supporters calling him a truth‑seeker and critics branding him a thief.

> Summary by Daily Read Bytes. [Read the original source](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cwywld5v28jo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)