‘Britain’s Most Unbearable YouTuber’ pops off the display at you first. Subsequent up within the search outcomes are ‘The Thogden Recordsdata Bought Worse’, ‘The Drawback With Thogden’ and at last: ‘The Decay of Britain’s Most Unbearable YouTuber.’
These 5 seconds of scrolling inform all concerning the public notion of a content material creator who has lengthy ‘rage-baited’ and infuriated soccer followers throughout the web via his match-going vlogs and streams. Disliked or not, although, that is the type that grew ‘Thogden’ into the web phenomenon he’s right this moment.
Born in Harrogate, Theo Ogden started his YouTube channel in 2014 whereas in secondary faculty, and has racked up an enormous 2.7million subscribers and 1.6billion video views over the past 12 years. Lately, his relentless social media output has unfold to short-form content material, posting to greater than 700,000 followers on each TikTok and Instagram, and 150,000 extra on X.
So why does somebody who – primarily based on the numbers – looks as if a well-liked determine, obtain a lot vitriol on social media?
Largely, the annoyance comes via the perceived irritating and cringeworthy nature of Thogden’s movies, notably short-form content material. He’s a product of Mr Beast’s ever-growing cultural impression on the trade, along with his overdramatic presentation type clearly catered to a youthful viewers.
The weird, infantile challenges at matches, reminiscent of when he went to an Atletico Madrid match to speak in what he known as ‘Naija’, (it was truly Nigerian Pidgin), till Ademola Lookman, who performs for Nigeria at worldwide stage, scored a purpose. The previous Fulham and Everton winger didn’t rating. This contemporary method is cringe-inducing, and within the Lookman case nearly offensive, nevertheless it laps up the views.
Born in Harrogate, Theo ‘Thogden’ Ogden started his YouTube channel in 2014 whereas in secondary faculty, and has racked up 2.7million subscribers and 1.6billion video views
Thogden made his identify live-blogging from the stands at England video games, providing a brand new perspective that has been mimicked by numerous copycats
His cringe-inducing codecs ring a bell with the web era – reminiscent of talking ‘Naija’ all through an Atletico Madrid match in tribute to Nigeria winger Ademola Lookman
The Bolton Wanderers fan, who grew up in Higher Manchester earlier than shifting to West Hampstead, north London in his late teenagers, first went viral throughout the 2018 World Cup in Russia – the place his mom is from – as he adopted Gareth Southgate’s England all the best way to the heartbreaking semi-final defeat by Croatia.
Nonetheless, it was Euro 2020 the place the then 20-year-old’s reputation took off. The Three Lions fanatic gave supporters a distinct perspective of matches, vlogging from the stands in a method that has given rise to a thousand copycats. He continued this type into membership soccer at varied groups – together with his beloved Bolton – and grew his following additional and additional.
However with this kind of publicity got here a brand new stage of scrutiny from doomscrollers. His remark sections had been quickly rife with invective language from supporters who didn’t take pleasure in his ‘foremost character syndrome’ and criticised the variety of video games he was capable of get to on the expense of diehard followers.
Talking on The Fellas podcast in 2023, Thogden mentioned: ‘If I’m going to a Leeds sport, and I present folks how good the Leeds ambiance is, I’m displaying lots of of 1000’s of people that don’t know from contained in the stadium. So, I’m doing quite a bit for them. And in return, they’re continually saying, “Oh, why’s he there? Why does he have a ticket?”
‘Nicely you’re permitting a great deal of new folks to probably turn out to be a Leeds fan from overseas, from wherever. I don’t assume folks have a look at the total image.’
However the full image of his YouTube feed additionally reveals why he’s turn out to be so polarising.
In the course of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was shrouded in controversy surrounding human rights points, Thogden attended all 64 matches on the event alongside his father Stephen Ogden, higher identified in his common appearances on YouTube as ‘Thogdad’.
The pair partnered with Crypto.com for the mission, a agency that has a partnership with Donald Trump’s social media firm ‘Fact Social’.
Thogden attended all 64 matches on the 2022 World Cup alongside his father Stephen Ogden, higher identified in his common appearances on YouTube as ‘Thogdad’
His remark sections had been quickly rife with invective language from supporters who criticised the variety of video games he was capable of get to on the expense of diehard followers
Then there was Thogden’s partnership with the Saudi vacationer board. When Newcastle lifted the Carabao Cup final 12 months, their first home trophy in 70 years, he inspired Newcastle followers to have a good time the triumph by visiting Boulevard World, an leisure district in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
‘The place’s the after occasion? Saudi Arabia! Simply think about Boulevard World, stuffed with black and white – and it is truly straightforward to get there,’ he shamelessly proclaimed, in ‘dialog’ with Thogdad for a TikTok put up labelled as a ‘paid partnership’. ‘Solar, celebrations, and doubtless Joelinton on a camel.’
It was in stark distinction to a video he made with ‘Thogdad’ 4 years earlier, when Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund (PIF) bought a majority stake in Newcastle.
In a video titled: ‘The Fact about Newcastle United’s New House owners’, he informed celebrating Newcastle followers: ‘Simply have just a little search into Yemen (the place Saudi forces have been serving to the federal government crackdown on Houthi rebels, with the nation struggling a crippling famine), discover out what is going on on there, after which come again and realise, that’s behind your membership. Actually assess, do you assume that’s the correct choice?’
An ideal instance of how cash can change opinions.
There may be then Thogden’s love of Morocco, however that’s evidently a product of the views and adoration he will get from their soccer followers each time he posts about them. Why else would he proclaim, ‘I really feel Moroccan’ and that he bleeds ‘pink and inexperienced’ whereas sporting a Morocco shirt on the World Cup?
That video nearly encapsulates Thogden. He’s so wrapped up in chasing clicks and going viral that he’s joyful to vary his methods to swimsuit his viewers. Morocco followers are viewing my content material? Let me all of the sudden declare I’m one in every of them.
Furthermore, there may be his love of being the primary character, which is a trait his most avid haters use as a follow beat him with. A podcast with Sky Sports activities’ Adam Smith from final 12 months went viral for the way Thogden claimed that Lionel Messi, who he met at a VIP occasion in Miami, would bear in mind him and that, in reference to arguably the best footballer that has ever lived, ‘there can be a smile on his face’ in the event that they did meet once more.
Thogden has centered numerous his content material on Morocco, having discovered himself standard with their followers
With Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi
Thogden’s content material is emblematic of the route soccer media goes in. He was a poster boy for Sky Sports activities once they entered the ‘creatorsphere’, recurrently showing on Saturday Social – the influencer-led present that changed the long-lasting Soccer AM and is infinitely much less pleasurable to observe.
We’re in an age the place clicks drive content material and whether or not folks prefer it or not, Thogden will get these clicks. You can examine him to boxing and UFC influencer Jake Paul – folks like to hate him, however that simply bolsters his viewership, visibility, and his checking account.
Thogden is believed to have made most of his cash via model offers, posting movies collaborating with paid companions on social media. Prior to now 12 months alone, he has labored with Pepperami, Tremendous Snacks, Polymarket – a prediction market platform – and, greatest of all, Nike.
A monetary knowledgeable throughout the creator trade informed Day by day Mail Sport that these partnerships will not be as profitable for Thogden as you would possibly anticipate, as manufacturers reminiscent of Crypto.com and Polymarket ‘might like to supply tickets’ (freebies) to the creator in return for ‘built-in’ movies.
Nonetheless, these manufacturers can also supply cash primarily based on a ‘pay-per-thousand-views’ foundation (often called a CPM, or Price Per Mille). The monetary knowledgeable tells Day by day Mail Sport: ‘In industries like banking and crypto, they’ll pay a lot greater CPMs. So they may pay £40 to £60 per 1,000 views. Relying on which form of manufacturers, you may be making something from £15,000 to £30,000 per video.’
Regardless of the alternatives on supply given his monumental social media following, Thogden has beforehand revealed he doesn’t take cash from firms for movies throughout tournaments such because the World Cup, inferring that these are gifted partnerships by which they provide journey, lodging, and tickets.
His accounts recommend that this can be his enterprise mannequin. In keeping with filings at Firms Home, Thogden is the director of two firms, Thogden Ltd and Burford Browns Ltd, however they’re successfully the identical enterprise.
The previous was renamed to the latter in 2024 and Thogden Ltd survived a obligatory strike-off earlier this 12 months. It was served a primary gazette discover for showing to be inactive however subsequently averted being dissolved after confirming to the registrar that ‘its meant future actions are lawful’.
Assembly Lionel Messi in 2024. Thogden later claimed ‘there can be a smile on (Messi’s) face’ in the event that they did meet once more
He was in full impact on the 2026 World Cup, posting from high-profile matches together with the ultimate
Burford Browns Ltd, as his manufacturing firm is now identified, has internet property of £631,264, as of its newest accounts. Useful, for certain, however not the trimmings of a person residing an entire lifetime of luxurious.
There’s a widespread false impression these days that influencers and content material creators reside in mansions that appear out of this world and have swimming swimming pools full of money within the again backyard. There are the likes of Mr Beast and Charli D’Amelio, who’ve made their thousands and thousands and turn out to be web celebrities from rising Gen Z audiences whose eyes are completely glued to screens. However they’re the headline acts.
The vast majority of creators nonetheless willingly tackle gifted partnerships alongside paid model offers, incomes an trustworthy, wholesome wage alongside enviable perks – reminiscent of soccer matches in Thogden’s case – whereas having fun with a comparatively down-to-earth life.
And regardless of the controversies, regardless of the wacky codecs and the criticism, Thogden carries on. If we actually are seeing the ‘decay of Britain’s most unbearable YouTuber’, then it clearly nonetheless has a technique to run.
