Ben Black on Working with Ronaldo, Haaland, Mbappe & Football’s Biggest Names

How it all started

“I started by filming football challenges with my mates. Crossbar challenges, free kicks, all of it,” says creator Ben Black, who’s now one of the most recognised faces in football content.

Those early videos turned into something much bigger. Today, Ben’s built an audience of over 10 million followers across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, and has worked with some of the biggest names and brands in world football.

From Social Media to Global Campaigns

What started as football challenges in his garden has turned into global brand campaigns. Ben’s mix of keeping up with social trends, storytelling, and clean edits has landed him collaborations with Nike, UEFA, EA Sports, Celsius and lots more involving superstar athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland.

This approach has flipped the script, players now want to be in Ben’s videos just as much as fans want to watch them.

“Football content doesn’t need to be serious,” Ben says. “It’s about showing personality and making it fun again.”

The Best Footballers I’ve Worked With

We asked Ben to rank a few of his favourite players to film with, and here’s what he said:

● Cristiano Ronaldo: “Purely for the fact it’s Cristiano Ronaldo, it does not get bigger than filming with him in the football world. Was a no mess about type person, straight to business but super friendly.

● Erling Haaland: “Very funny guy, definitely doesn’t realise how big he is though.”

● Son Heung-min: “Genuinely one of the nicest footballers I’ve ever met, felt like a completely normal person I’d known for years”

● Cole Palmer: “What you see is what you get, doesn’t act different on or off camera. Doesn’t realise how funny he is.”

● Bernardo Silva: “Like Son, genuinely one of the nicest footballers I’ve ever met, so down to earth.”

“Each one brings something completely different,” Ben says. “Sometimes you think these major athletes have crazy egos, but they’re actually super nice and willing to be in videos.”

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What’s Next?

Ben’s now expanding globally through his creative agency 12th Media, building a worldwide creator network and developing projects ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

“Football’s getting more creative by the day, the crossover between creators and athletes is happening more and more” Ben says. “We’re just getting started.”

Featured Image Credit: Ben Black