The YouTuber who swapped air-traffic control for videos with Mbappé

From a quiet corner of Belfast to rubbing shoulders with footballer Kylian Mbappé in Paris, sport content creator John Nellis has enjoyed an unusual rise to fame.

He quit his job as an air traffic controller two years ago and is now flying high on social media.

John, 31, is the face of a popular football-focused YouTube channel that has attracted two million subscribers, while a video of his with Mbappé has had almost 10 million views.

He was recently filmed at an international football ceremony, the Ballon d'Or, wearing a pair of football boots that were turned into formal shoes at a Belfast city centre heel bar.

Turning a hobby into a profession

John also has more than a million followers on TikTok and recently won their sports content creator of the year award in the UK and Ireland.

It is a far cry from his previous job at Cork Airport where he worked for eight years in air traffic control.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, when most planes were grounded, the football fanatic had more time to work on his hobby - making videos.

Then in 2022, he took a gamble. He gave up his job and made his hobby his profession.

"I went from a big, serious stressful job and then into the dream job, very quickly," he told BBC News NI.

"When no planes were flying I had so much more time to put into editing and thinking of ideas. It just spiralled."

John has a tattoo of the number 7,431 written in black ink. That is the number of subscribers his YouTube channel had at the time he left his job in 2022.

"When I look back, I label myself as delusional. I don't know how any channel with as few subscribers as I had, in their right mind, would quit the job I had," he said.

From World Cup winners to future stars

John's channel now has 300 times that number, thanks to videos that include Mbappé, World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane and Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo.

John said any teenager with ambitions to become a professional YouTuber should keep their options open.

"Ultimately if tens of thousands of people do it (create content), only a few will ever actually get paid," he said.

Once their subscribers grow, YouTubers are often offered commercial tie-ups and make money through advertising.

In terms of making a career out of social media content, John advised people to treat it as a sideline, and assess the impact, before fully committing to working in the sector.

He said being creative, and having a unique selling point, are essential.

John with Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo

In England, a Youtuber recently began making a living out of posting his experience on rollercoaster rides, even though he used to be afraid of heights.

A teenage gamer in Wales, with half a million subscribers to his channel, spoke in May about earning up to £25,000 a month.

As for John's football-related channel, he put its success partly down to its reach beyond hardcore sports fans.

He said: "If you don't like football there's a chance you'll enjoy our content because it's not about results or players… you don't need any prior context… it's loosely around the world of football.

"It's about doing fun things, it's about doing creative things."

7,431 is the number of subscribers John Nellis' YouTube channel had at the time he left his job

'Irish accent helps me stand out'

Originally from Newcastle in County Down, he now lives in north Belfast.

At school, he focused on science rather than the arts. Apart from a non-speaking role as Joseph in a school nativity play, he was seldom centre stage.

Now he gets recognised on the street, most often by teenagers. He said his Irish accent has helped make him stand out.

"I think it's an advantage globally. It's different and I think it's always good to be a bit different," he said.

He is not sure how long his new career will last but he is enjoying his spell in the limelight.