The Champions League final is attended by many well-known personalities. But there was only real hype about someone who actually has very little to do with football.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Paris Saint-Germain win the Champions League final against Yann Sommer's Inter Milan 5:0.
- As always, there are plenty of celebrities in the stands at the final of the premier class. But the hype surrounding one person was unparalleled.
Being able to attend a Champions League final is a privilege. Not just for the players, but also for journalists and, of course, the fans. Not because of the fuss. Whether Linkin Park play their hits or David Garrett unpacks his violin may not matter to any football fan. What is important is the magic that such a game and the handle pot as such exude.
This magic also attracts the really big names to the stadiums that once wrote football history. The likes of Kaka, Steven Gerrard, Javier Zanetti, Alessandro Del Piero and Wesley Sneijder are all there. Stars you can touch, a photo here, a chat there. But none of them create any hype. At least not the ones just mentioned.
Only one needs bodyguards
Because only one person can hardly move freely. Every step he takes is followed by a crowd of people eager to take selfies with their smartphones out: "Please, just one photo!" Because there is so much hustle and bustle around this young man, bodyguards walk in front of and behind him. I wonder who they are? He's not a good footballer, never has been and never will be. It's the streamer and Youtuber "ishowspeed".
You don't know him? That speaks for a healthy use of social media. Because the man is omnipresent on YouTube, Instagram, Tiktok and the like. The 20-year-old American has almost 40 million followers. Most of his fan base is probably younger than he is. At least it's mostly the very young fans in the stadium in Munich who are clamoring for photos with the YouTube star. The fact that the injured Bayern star Alphonso Davies is sitting next to him is just an insignificant side note. Nobody wants a photo with the Canadian - if they recognize him at all.
The "second screen" generation
In addition to his two bodyguards, Darren Watkins, as he is known by his real name, is constantly accompanied by another young man with a camera and microphone. During the Linkin Park ceremony, he happily sings along. At the goals, he reacts with his mouth wide open. From the opening ceremony onwards, he broadcasts 3.5 hours live to the world.
Whether you like the content that "ishowspeed" delivers is up to you. But the fact is that it hits the nerve of the times. While countless journalists are summarizing the game and vying for readers' attention with tabloid-esque titles, the Youtuber's stream already has 58 million views on Sunday morning.
It's a different world. A world for a generation that can only watch a 90-minute football match if there is a second screen. In other words, a cell phone. And on this cell phone, the stars are different. Not just Sommer, Doué or Hakimi, but also people like Watkins. And he's not just a streamer. He is someone with almost 40 million followers who is omnipresent on social media. And seeing such a person live is ultimately also a privilege. Almost as big a privilege as watching a Champions League final.
