Argentina
©IMAGO
The Argentine first division club CD Riestra has entered the first division with an internet star. In the game against Vélez Sarsfield (1:1), the streamer “Spreen” was in the starting line-up and was given a minute of playing time by coach Cristian Fabbiani. The campaign was not well received by everyone.
“Spreen”’s real name is Iván Buhajeruk (24) and is one of the biggest internet personalities in Argentina with 7.8 million followers on YouTube and 5.4 million more on Instagram. He is best known for his video game broadcasts. Now he slipped into the role of a professional footballer for a brief moment until he was substituted for center forward Gustavo Fernández (34). Buhajeruk did not touch the ball.
Nevertheless, thanks to his brief appearance, he played more minutes in Argentina’s first division than, for example, world champions Lionel Messi (37), Emiliano Martínez (32) and Paulo Dybala (30). The involvement with CD Riestra came through the club’s main sponsor, the energy drink brand Speed. She also sponsors “Spreen”.
The opposing striker Braian Romero (33) was annoyed by the action. “Today we are sending the wrong message to the kids who come from the bottom,” he said after the game. “It was a lack of respect for football.”
