YouTuber and Cristiano Ronaldo fan IShowSpeed showed off his new $10 million mansion last week.
“What’s good, YouTube, y’all. I finally bought myself a house in my hometown, you know what I’m talking about,” the 18-year-old said before giving a guided tour of the mansion.
Speed, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr, showed off two spacious dressing rooms, a huge bed, and an even larger bathroom that hides a luxurious walk-in shower ), and that was just his bedroom.
The Ohio native went from complete obscurity to international fame in a little over two years, thanks to his bombastic style on live broadcasts watched by millions.
His obsession with former Manchester United and Real Madrid star Ronaldo was key to his rise to social media stardom, while making millions in the process.
IShowSpeed was invited to attend last month’s Golden Globe Awards in Paris
IShowSpeed showed off his luxurious new home in a nearly five-hour livestream last week
The 18-year-old claims the property, located in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, cost $10 million to purchase
Speed uploaded his first Youtuber video in 2017, a minute-and-a-half clip of him performing dribbling moves in NBA 2K 2018. There is no comment in it, which is far from his content.
These types of videos were quickly replaced by Fortnite live streams, which allowed him to hone his unique image.
Then, after amassing an impressive following on the platform, the youngster began throwing his support behind then-Manchester United striker Ronaldo.
Speed’s content has grown rapidly, with him mounting a stout defense of the Portugal striker’s ‘GOAT case’, mocking his old rival Lionel Messi and making it his mission to meet his hero, appearing in the world At sports events everywhere.
In September 2022, the social media starlet scored a goal (but was ultimately ruled out) during the Schiedelmann charity match and went on to replicate Ronaldo’s famous “siu” celebration.
He has chosen the Red Devils as his Premier League side and even joined Jeff Shreves and Sky Sports’ touchline staff for the game against Fulham at Craven Cottage in November 2022.
Speed had been due to meet the star in west London that evening, but reacted to the news that Ronaldo would not be present in a typically over-the-top reaction by rejecting the news. Shreves chuckled to himself in the corner.
During this time, the American established himself as the world’s number one Ronaldo fan, at least prominently, using his newfound fame on the air to attract ever-increasing audiences.
IShowSpeed appears at Manchester United vs Fulham in 2022 hoping to meet his idol
The YouTube star live-streamed tattooing the Portuguese idol’s face
One of his most famous videos captures his reaction to Messi’s brilliant performance during his prime at Barcelona. The youngster looked conflicted and seemed to be considering his own ridicule of the Argentinian great as he witnessed his brilliance.
“No, I tripped, fuck this.” Ronaldo is better! Ronaldo is better. ” He quickly came to his senses and roared angrily.
Much of his content surrounding the 38-year-old actor adopts a similar tone, in fact, it’s almost impossible to tell whether his dedication is for the actor or a ploy to attract a wider audience.
Although in fact, it doesn’t matter. Speed primarily posts his live highlights to his Live Speedy channel, which has 7.53 million subscribers. Its main channel IShowSpeed is 21.7m long.
Last year, his Ronaldo content ranged from videos titled “IShowSpeed reacts to Ronaldo yelling” to “IShowSpeed gets a Ronaldo tattoo.” Yes, he did have the striker’s face emblazoned on his left arm, with the whole thing live-streamed to his adoring fans.
His sheer dedication eventually brought him to the attention of numerous football stars who themselves invested heavily in internet celebrity and viral social media content. In terms of his quest to meet Ronaldo, one of his most important links is with AC Milan striker Rafael Leao.
The Portugal international first appeared in an IShowSpeed video late last year, when Leo confirmed during a Facetime call with the teenager that his standout team-mate was very familiar with him.
“You know, sometimes like in training, I walk up to him and I say ‘Sewey’ and he says the same thing,” Leo said to an ecstatic Speed, who released a Song called Ronaldo (Sewey).
At this point, Speed has tried to meet with Ronaldo many times, including two visits to Old Trafford from the United States and a trip to Qatar to watch the World Cup, but without success.
Speed has been confirmed by Ronaldo’s Portugal team-mate Rafael Leao and the forward knows exactly who he is
In June, he finally met striker Al Nasser in a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina at Portugal’s Stadium of Light.
But months later, Leo played a crucial role in brokering a meeting between the two.
Speed finally got to meet his idol in the car park of the Stadium of Light during Portugal’s 3-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in June and made sure not to waste the opportunity to sync up with the football icon.
The six-minute interactive video has been viewed a staggering 16 million times on YouTube. According to financial media Money Made, Speed earns around $2.2 million (£1.8 million) a year just from output on the platform.
Not to mention his massive following on other social media sites like Snapchat and TikTok, where his main account has 23.1 million followers.
His popularity has been fueled by his relationship with Ronaldo and last week’s property revelations proved the rich rewards of his savvy social media positioning.
In addition to the amenities he showed off at the start of his mansion tour, Speed also gave viewers a peek at his stunning front room, a wine cellar that he mistakenly thought was a cave, and a home gym.
At the end of the tour, he went to his giant swimming pool, where he ended the video by doing a backflip in the pool.
Unfortunately, open access brings dangers. While in the creek on Monday, Speed was interrupted by a SWAT team forcing their way into his residence.
Speed has become one of the most recognizable faces on the internet over the past few years
He’s not shy about putting his new surroundings on full display, giving viewers an inside look at his new home
The youngster showed off his typical energy as he made the rounds of his huge en-suite bathroom and home gym
This dangerous online practice, known as “beating,” often involves evil viewers mistakenly contacting emergency agencies and claiming that a crime is taking place at the celebrity’s live broadcast location.
This isn’t the first time Speed has been the victim of this stunt. He later said on social media: “This is terrible. Brother, don’t do this again in your life.” I might actually die. I had a gun pointed at my face. Never do this again.
At just 18 years old, Speed stood alongside football’s elite at last month’s Ballon d’Or and his influence is likely to make him a well-known face on social media for years to come.
But with Ronaldo out of the main stage, will the rebranding of Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe have the same financial success? Speed may soon reveal a $50 million temple-like complex to Norwegians.
Whatever he goes on to do, his meteoric rise, aided by his love for Ronaldo, has been astounding.