Fake Gedion Zelalem Twitter gets USMNT fans excited with flag emoji

Arsenal midfielder Gedion Zelalem is only 17 years old. He was born in Germany, but U.S. men's national team fans are holding out hope that Zelalem will one day suit up for the U.S.

Zelalem spent several years of his childhood in the United States. If his father is granted American citizenship -- which he is working towards -- before Zelalem's 18th birthday, Zelalem would automatically become an American citizen and would thus be eligible to play for the USMNT. 

Should he receive U.S. citizenship, Zelalem would be eligible to play for the United States, Germany or Ethiopia, where his parents are originally from. But today, a Twitter account bearing Zelalem's name sent out a tweet that many Americans hoped was indicative of the midfielder's future. 

One problem: The account doesn't actually belong to Gedion Zelalem. 

On Tuesday, after the tweet was sent, Zelalem posted a message on Instagram saying that he doesn't have a Twitter. SI.com's Grant Wahl also confirmed that the highly-coveted midfielder does not have a Twitter account. 

We don't want to make too much of a leap here, but the Instagram post is in black and white. Which are two of Germany's primary uniform colors. Could that possibly be a coincidence?

- Dan Gartland and Stanley Kay