It's the World Cup for content creators too, and one of the best around is a 14-year-old YouTube star from Belfast named Leo Barnes who has over 3 millions subscribers!
In the video above we discover how Leo, aka BR2, built one of the biggest football channels on YouTube, his love for the game, and what inspires him to create content for millions of fans around the world.
The content creator joined fellow social media star DavidMC and Aisling O'Reilly in the Total Football to tell us how he started his channel in 2023 when he was only 11.
In December 2024 he became the Youngest Northern Irish YouTuber to hit 1 million subscribers and that was only the start. BR2 has clocked up a mind-boggling 700 million total views on the platform - all shot and edited by himself.
The Belfast boy gets out on the grass too. Having started out with Ridgeway Rovers when he was 7, Leo has just joined local side H&W Welders FC.
Leo says: "I've always preferred playing it than watching it, but I wanted to go out and copy the footballer skills that I was seeing on TV."
Aisling, David and young fans from Ringmahon Rangers AFC get to know Leo as he shares his story and tells us what YouTubers inspired him starting out - including a familiar face...
Leo said: "I've always seen these YouTubers on TV such as David, the F2, SV2, to name a few. I've always thought I could do that, and I could be one of the kids in the videos.
"So, I just started making my own videos and started copying the people I was seeing on TV, and I really loved it from the start, and I still do."
On top of all this, he somehow has time for a weekly football podcast with Braydon Bent.
Press play on the image above to watch the trailer for Total Football.
Stream all episodes of Total Football, presented by Aisling O'Reilly and DavidMC, on RTÉ Player here!
RTÉ Sport are covering all 104 matches at the FIFA Men's World Cup 2026 - visit the World Cup website here.
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Source: RTE
