HE made his full England debut against Belgium at Wembley tonight and looked right at home – paving the way for selection at this summer’s Euros.
But The Sun can reveal that away from the floodlights of the national stadium, 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo leads a humble, quiet life, just like any average teenager.
Locals told how the Manchester United midfielder loves eating out at Nando’s and still lives with his dad Felix in a modest £370,000 semi — in a street where some neighbours have no idea who he is.
In fact, the only sign of any of the perks of Kobbie’s £20,000-a-week job is an £80,000 BMW X4 — given to him by United – along with a Mercedes A-Class which takes pride of place on the drive.
Kobbie is the most talked-about young player in English football right now, with accomplished performances beyond his years culminating in a late call-up to Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad last week.
Those who know Kobbie say he is a down-to-earth lad who “takes everything in his stride”.
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His first coach, Steve Vare, who mentored him as a four-year-old at Cheadle And Gatley FC, told us: “He came from a lovely family — I used to have regular chats with his dad.
“I do know Kobbie is still in contact with his old school friends — he hasn’t lost sight of the fact he is very grounded.
“That is probably down to him coming from a loving, very stable family.”
Kobbie’s parents Felix and Abena Herold — who are Ghanaian immigrants — are separated but he splits his time between their homes, which are within 30 minutes of each other.
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At Felix’s house in Sale, some locals do not even know who Kobbie is.
The family moved into the rented three-bedroom home around four or five years ago and Kobbie keeps himself to himself, with one neighbour saying: “I’ve got no idea who he is.”
Others talk proudly about having an England star in their midst, with another saying of the young star: “I remember him going to and coming home from school in his uniform.
“He was always a very smiley young boy.
“I say hello to Felix when I see him.
“They’re a nice family.”
A third neighbour, who is a friend of the family, added: “I’ve known Kobbie and his dad for years.
“Kobbie is a really nice boy from a really nice family – and he’s a really good footballer.
“He’s going to be a star.”
Kobbie is powered by grub from Nando’s — one of his favourite treats.
He was recently spotted collecting a bag of food from his local branch in Altrincham, where he fist-bumped a member of staff who is a huge Manchester United fan.
One onlooker said: “Kobbie came in on his own with his hood up, but he got recognised straight away.
“He was a lovely lad and fist-bumped a member of staff.
“He seemed really nice and down to earth.”
There was a time, before he became a United first team regular, that Kobbie was not even the most famous person in his own family.
His older half-brother Jordan Mainoo-Hames, 29 — Felix’s son from another relationship — appeared on season five of ITV2 dating show Love Island, spending 38 days in the villa.
Jordan, who has since embarked on a successful modelling career, is one of Kobbie’s biggest fans — frequently shouting about him to his 711,000 Instagram followers.
When Kobbie got the England call-up, Jordan shared a snap of him and wrote: “Movin’ on up.”
Kobbie, whose close family circle includes his sisters Ama and Efia, also spends time at mum Abena’s £500,000 detached three-bed home in Cheadle Hulme.
Abena is a secretary of her new husband Robin’s construction firm.
Kobbie is said to still regularly visit his parents’ home country of Ghana.
He was quick and had a really powerful shot for a kid that age
Steve Vare
The ace — full name Kobbie Boateng Mainoo — was born on April 19, 2005 in Stockport, Gtr Manchester, and raised in the sleepy suburb of Cheadle Hulme.
Aged four, he began playing for local side Cheadle And Gatley under Steve — who quickly spotted his incredible talent.
Steve said: “He was only here for about a year and he was very good for his age.
“He found some things too easy.
“It was obvious we needed to test and challenge him more.
“In game situations, he would just run from one end to another and score, so we put in challenges — like he could only score with his weaker foot.
“He was quick and had a really powerful shot for a kid that age.
“He could have won a trophy for best player every week, to be honest, but I would tell him, ‘I am going to give it to someone else this week’ – and he never got upset.”
Over the past few weeks, Steve has been inundated with interview requests to talk about Kobbie — from media across the globe including America and Denmark.
He added: “We are immensely proud of Kobbie.
“He does come across as a really grounded person who just takes it all in his stride.
“I am sure that he will still be the same Kobbie.”
Kobbie left Cheadle And Gatley for Failsworth Dynamos before being asked to train with United and local rivals Man City.
He later opted for his beloved boyhood side United, joining the club aged seven — and was regarded as one of their best talents throughout his time in the academy.
Kobbie studied at Cheadle Catholic Infant School and St James’ Catholic High before moving on to Ashton-on-Mersey School under United’s scholarship programme.
One source said: “Kobbie was a very bright, very well-rounded young man and he finished with good grades.”
During his time playing for the Red Devils, Kobbie has won the FA Youth Cup and the club’s Jimmy Murphy Young Player Of The Year award for the 2022/23 season.
He signed his first professional contract on his 17th birthday – the earliest date a player can do so — and made his first team debut in the League Cup against Charlton Athletic last January.
I think he’s incredible for such a young age, with the maturity he’s shown
Wayne Rooney
And he has started gaining the plaudits he deserves over the past few months from the great and good of the game thanks to some stellar performances – after his season was delayed by an injury suffered in pre-season.
Kobbie has shown calmness, composure and class on the ball in some tough matches — including arguably his best game so far in the 4-3 FA Cup thriller against fierce rivals Liverpool, in front of 72,291 fans at Old Trafford.
He won the Premier League’s Goal Of The Month competition in February for a sensational individual goal away at Wolves – dribbling past players with ease before bending the ball into the corner in the 97th minute of a frantic 4-3 victory.
United legend Rio Ferdinand compared him to AC Milan’s great Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf, while Wayne Rooney has also heaped praise on him.
Wayne said: “I think he’s incredible for such a young age, with the maturity he’s shown.
“He always seems to make the right decisions.
“He has a very bright future.”
No challenge seems to faze Kobbie — including his 15-minute cameo for England against Brazil on Saturday, which they lost 1-0.
He has settled into our group with no problems at all and he looks completely at home
Gareth Southgate
It was fitting that his debut was against Brazil, as he grew up idolising silky Samba Boy Ronaldinho.
At one point during the game, Kobbie showed nimble footwork the ex-Barcelona forward would have been proud of.
Ahead of tonight’s match, manager Gareth Southgate said of Kobbie: “We put him in the team as the game went on the other day — when it was 0-0 against Brazil.
“That would suggest we would be happy to put him on the pitch at any moment.
“We will be mindful of how quickly we go with a young player.
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“He has settled into our group with no problems at all and he looks completely at home.”
Some of Kobbie’s neighbours may not know him yet — but he could well be among the names this country never forgets if Southgate’s men finally win a major tournament this summer.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
