Ben Foster has reinvented himself in recent years through his YouTube channel. Already respected for his impressive career at the top level of professional football, he is featuring in a BT Sport documentary called ‘The Special 1’ this weekend.
‘The Cycling GK’ is a platform sensation, with more than one million subscribers. It has allowed Foster to show fans another side of himself and a view of the life of a professional athlete. Foster claims that more know him for YouTube than football.
Sporf recently had the chance to sit down with Foster and ask him about his life since starting the channel. We also found out what his plans are for future videos.
Ben Foster: The Cycling GK
Ben Foster is one of the unsung success stories of English football in the 21st century.
Starting his career off at the very bottom of the football pyramid, he was plucked from obscurity by Stoke City in 2001. A scout spotted the potential in Foster, but even he probably didn’t anticipate what came next.
Over the span of 20 years, Foster has made hundreds of Premier League appearances. He holds a special place in the hearts of fans of several clubs, namely West Brom and Watford. But he also got between the posts for Man United for a brief period and commanded the box for Birmingham when they won their first major trophy in decades. That’s without mentioning his appearances for England.
With all that in mind, it’s little wonder that Foster has turned his YouTube hobby into a phenomenon. His videos explore the highlights of his career, the parts of the game fans don’t see and his love for cycling. And Foster really does love cycling.
Big YouTube plans
Cycling was a part of Foster’s answer when we asked him about his biggest ambitions for the YouTube channel. The 38-year-old stopper painted a big open road for us.
He said: “I’m still not sure how long I’m going to keep playing football for. I have said a few times that I’d love to go out to the [United] States and play in America for a year. I know a lot of people would love to see the GoPro in the Goal back in America.
“They’re so much more receptive over there to that kind of stuff anyway. You see the cameras in the lockers after games and all that kind of stuff. So they have so much more access. I think people would genuinely buzz off what it would look like to go to the States and play football.
“There have been so many English players who have gone abroad, gone out to America and stuff, and I’ve never seen what that journey looks like. Do they live in LA? Do they go to Hollywood all the time? Like, what does it look like? I would love to be the guy who goes there and shows that.”
Big plans for the Watford veteran, with YouTube potentially deciding his next move. Plus, Foster adds, can you imagine the cycling he’d get done out there?
BT Sport will premiere The Special 1, the latest documentary from BT Sport Films, on BT Sport 1 on Tuesday 8 February at 10.45pm and is available to watch via the BT Sport website and App thereafter.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
