Leeds United star Anton Stach is the latest of many Premier League footballers to set up their own YouTube channel
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
07:30, 18 Mar 2026
Anton Stach has set up his own YouTube channel and Leeds fans are loving it
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Anton Stach has set up his own YouTube channel and Leeds fans are loving it(Image: Anton Stach/YouTube)
‘Don’t forget to like and subscribe’. A phrase often heard from your favourite YouTuber or, perhaps nowadays, footballer.
The rise of social media has aligned with the swing towards player power, letting those on the pitch have their say on their own terms, in their own time, in their own way. The best kind of PR is self-made, it seems.
In years gone by, a TV network or a club-funded documentary would be a player’s only - and very controlled - gateway to letting people in behind the curtain. In 2026, every player has the ability to record, edit and stream every aspect of their life inside and outside of football from their own pocket.
For many of the current generation, and certainly the next one, YouTube has always been around. It’s not just a website, but a staple of daily life. Some of you reading this will have undoubtedly already clicked on the app or web browser today. Me too.
More than 1billion hours of YouTube videos are consumed each day and many creators have ditched their nine-to-fives to make a living off their monetised content. For some, it has made them household famous.
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YouTube welcomes in 2.7billion visitors each month - equivalent to almost a quarter of the world’s population. Love it or loathe it, it’s no wonder footballers are tapping into the exposure of this vlogging realm - including some on the books of Leeds United.
Anton Stach has recently set up his own channel, his first video last week immediately drawing in nearly 40,000 views and 6,000 subscribers. Largie Ramazani launched his own profile a month ago with three videos already published and nearly 2,000 subscribers acquired.
Georginio Rutter still runs his own YouTube channel, supplying his 7,830 subscribers with anything from Pokemon content to his love of horses and mini-documentaries. Footballers are keen to show they are not robotic athletes but human beings.
Stach - perhaps the most likely out of all of the Leeds squad to create a channel given his quirky Instagram posts - shared footage of him playing tennis and going for an evening meal with his partner. A few months ago, Ramazani posted a video about his Christmas break.
Largie Ramazani shares behind the scenes clips on his YouTube channel
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Largie Ramazani shares behind the scenes clips on his YouTube channel(Image: YouTube / Largie Ramazani)
Other Premier League stars have taken the plunge too. James Maddison has been tracking his recovery from his cruciate ligament injury and Leeds-born Erling Haaland - who launched his channel in October - mixing in more left-field content, such as scaring people as the Joker on Halloween or going undercover as Santa.
“Human connection is something everyone wants, and when you look up to players, any opportunity to connect means a lot,” says Ger Lynch, who has received several awards for his YouTube channel ‘The Leeds View’ which specialises on Leeds United and has more than 73,000 subscribers.
Ger is the perfect man to talk to given he worked as a Global Digital Strategist for Microsoft’s YouTube arm for 10 years. He says there are "huge" benefits to footballers creating their own content on the platform, albeit with necessary caution.
“In general, setting up a YouTube channel is a way for them to connect with fans and humanise themselves a little. But it will obviously leave them open to criticism for the lifestyle, especially if their form dips or the clubs aren't doing well.
“It's very subjective, it's a way to connect, but all depends on the mood around them at any given time.”
Haaland recently collaborated with YouTube megastars The Sidemen, bumping his subscriber count past 4million. Ironically, these videos were posted shortly after he missed Manchester City’s trip to Elland Road through injury.
Haaland has more than four million subscribers having only launched his channel in October
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Haaland has more than four million subscribers having only launched his channel in October(Image: Erling Haaland / YouTube)
If anyone can be excused for such optics, it is Haaland, though not all footballers will have that same luxury. Amid Tottenham Hotspur’s plight, Maddison has not posted since January.
Leeds United take a relaxed approach to players doing YouTube content, trusting that common sense will be used and certain boundaries won’t be over-stepped - albeit they do ensure that anything filmed at Thorp Arch is reviewed by the club.
Players do not have their phones to hand during team meetings and training sessions anyway, at the risk of incurring a fine if they go off - and don’t expect to see Stach using a go-pro at Elland Road, with similar rules for matchdays.
On the subject of go-pros, Ben Foster was the first active top-flight footballer to go full-steam into the YouTube sphere. He began by sharing match footage by placing a camera in his Watford goal during the fan-less pandemic era, giving viewers unique insight into how professional footballers communicate in real time.
He got a slap on the wrist for it as the authorities clamped down on broadcasting permissions when Watford earned promotion to the Premier League but the goalkeeper moved on to other content.
Since retiring, Foster has started his own podcast with Spotify and has been employed by the likes of Amazon Prime to conduct interviews, showing how YouTube can lead to opportunities once the playing days are over.
Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster before his side's game against Chelsea
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Former Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster before his side's game against Chelsea(Image: Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
For the likes of Stach and Ramazani, perhaps that is not the main aim right now. “I feel like [by] coming on YouTube, I’m here to express myself so you guys know a little bit more about me,” says Ramazani in the intro to his first video.
YouTuber Ger explained: “Fans want to talk to their favourite players. It's why we all used to wait outside the players' entrances to get a closer look, a few words or a picture. It goes back to creating relationships with the fanbase, even if it is only one way.
“So by having these channels they can show their fun side, or their difficulties they have, a closer look at what really goes into being a football, sacrifices they make and the highs and lows of it. It pulls the curtain back and gives them a chance to show fans the full picture, not just the perception.”
Of course, what the full picture actually is becomes complex. Clubs could more or less control the narratives 20 years ago but the rise of social media means players can share their own, differing stance.
In the main, such platforms can be a good thing for footballers but they can also cause a headache for clubs - just think back to Mateo Joseph’s Instagram story upon his loan exit to Mallorca.
This point, then, goes beyond just YouTube itself but the platform is another, perhaps more visceral, vessel through which players can refute a club line. Yet few within the game are of the stance that giving players their own voice is a bad thing.
Most clubs, such as Leeds, will be fine with players setting up their own YouTube channel as long as lines are not crossed. Ultimately, what they do in their own time is up to them and it is not altogether different than an Instagram post or a TikTok livestream.
There are obvious risks when young and wealthy men have such a big platform - for their club, their representatives and themselves.
But the general acceptance of these is perhaps a signal of the times - both in regards to a more nuanced understanding that players are still humans and that more of the elite want to become brands in and of themselves.
The reality is that for many, their social media content may be controlled by their inner circle - but it does seem slightly different when it comes to YouTube. Perhaps this is why it is the platform of choice for many.
It allows the most freeing form of expression, without (much) filter. After all, an agent or media representative can’t act as their client in front of a camera lens, at least not without AI anyway.
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But that’s a whole different topic.