Some players can build a reputation simply by doing skills and having YouTube compilations made on him. These days, these type of videos are made on every player who has ever done a step over or a flick of some sort, sending social media into meltdown over a “sick skill”.
Sometimes, a “YouTube player” can actually be very talented in an actual game and has more to him than just an elastico move.
But who are the ultimate YouTube players? Who are those who have built a reputation from their skills and YouTube compilations and have showcased their talents on a football field? Here are the top 5 YouTube footballers.
#5 Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho will go down in history as one of footballs greatest ever players, there is no doubt about that whatsoever, but what cannot be forgotten is that he was the very first YouTube footballer.
During the 2000’s, Ronaldinho was the king of football with his skills enthralling all that watched him and inspired a generation to try and emulate their hero. When YouTube was created, it offered a platform for fans to watch Ronaldinho’s best moments and skill compilations at their fingertips.
His video alongside Nike where he continuously hit the crossbar from distance was the first sporting video to hit a million views on the website and the fact it was doctored didn’t seem to matter. Ronaldinho was the very first YouTube footballer, and inspired a generation thanks to his skills.
#4 Neymar
Almost like a modern day Ronaldinho, Neymar built a reputation in Europe through his skill compilations on YouTube. A lot of people knew about the talent of Neymar for Santos, but the majority of football fans on the continent hadn’t seen anything of him except for his skills.
It’s usually a safe bet to look at these skill compilations with a pinch of salt as anyone with technical ability could pull off skills, but Neymar showed that he used his brain and was more than just a trickster.
When he joined Barcelona, many people who hadn’t seen him regularly were sceptical. Joey Barton even compared him to Justin Bieber saying he was “class on YouTube, but cat p*ss in real life”.
If Ronaldinho was the definitive YouTube footballer that actually lived up to any hype, Neymar is the modern day version.
#3 Ricardo Quaresma
Quaresma had all the talent in the world at one point in his career, but his reputation for being a YouTube footballer seemed to take over what he was trying to achieve.
During his early career, he was meant to be the next Luis Figo, playing for both Sporting Lisbon and Barcelona before returning back to Porto in the mid 2000’s. He was slowly building a reputation for being a flair player and being someone who had enough confidence to try anything in a game, and his YouTube videos prove that.
He was one of the first players to pull off the Rabona skill move and sent social media into frenzy. Quaresma is the poster child of skill videos hiding the flaws of an individual. There is no doubt that the attacker was talented, extremely talented for a matter of fact, but a lot of hype surrounding the winger was built around his skills and his flair, not his actual ability.
Thanks to YouTube, Quaresma managed to become one of Europe’s most sought after players at one point in time.
#2 Hachim Mastour
This kid was meant to be an absolute superstar. Mastour was a classic case of social media and the Internet giving a youth player a huge reputation before he had even played a minute of first team football.
Mastour did a commercial alongside Nike and Neymar at the height of Neymar’s hype, and the hype train made a quick stop off at Hachim Mastour central, with the Internet exploding about the talents and skills of the Milan youth player.
Even his FIFA rating on career mode made him out to be the next Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, but Mastour was set unattainable goals simply because of YouTube. Hopefully we see what Mastour can really do, but his loan spells at various clubs across Europe isn’t filling us with much hope.
As many of his managers have said, Mastour is technically a fantastic player but is still yet to learn the mental side of the game. At youth level and on YouTube, his skills can be fantastic but when he is playing with the big boys, the goalposts move further and further away.
#1 Kerlon
The ultimate YouTube player, Kerlon was a phenomenon during the 2000s on YouTube. His famous seal dribble sparked years of hype for the Brazilian kid, who seemingly did it in almost every match.
He was full of tricks and had the audacity to pull off anything in a game, but all he had was tricks, he didn’t really have any end product to write home about. He wasn’t like Neymar or Ronaldinho who could do any trick in the world and make it count; Kerlon was just all show, no end product.
It was frustrating but in hindsight it wasn’t surprising. Hype around a young Brazilian who could dribble a ball on his head was all the rage when YouTube first arrived, and as more and more videos were made of Kerlon, the more clubs were linked with him.
He left Brazil for Inter later on in his career and fell flat on his face, and was essentially found out as being a one-trick-pony. He had trouble settling in and couldn’t meet the physical demands of Serie A and disappeared into obscurity not long after.
