Nike advert featuring Connah's Quay actor Macaulay Cooper tops You Tube most popular list

YouTube has compiled its list of the most popular ads of 2014, and the one video that captivated viewers most was an advert featuring 20-year-old Connah’s Quay actor Macaulay Cooper.

The Nike advert released just before the start of the World Cup in Brazil, features some of the world’s best football players including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Eden Hazard, Thiago Silva, Andrés Iniesta.

In the advert a group of lads are playing football in a park, they each choose one of their footballing hero’s, they then transform into the real life player they have picked, Macaulay chooses Barcelona and Brazil superstar Neymar, a game of ‘winner stays on’ then kicks off.

The video has been viewed by 98 million which is 9 million more people than the combined populations of Argentina and Spain!

Macaulay landed the role through his agent and after a rigorous audition process he was selected, bagging a plumb speaking role in the advert which was first aired during the 2014 UEFA Champions League semi-final.

Macaulay, who is studying a HNC in Performing Arts, said at the time of the advert’s release:

“I love football and acting so to land this role is incredible for me. I have been to Barcelona, Madrid and London to do the filming which was an amazing experience.

“At the end of the advert all of the characters turn into professional footballers and my character turns into Neymar JR and I got to have a chat and take photos with him which was fantastic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XviR7esUvo&list=PL9Xlh2Jq9l7VsUBGINfyC5FREZpVeR1n4

 Unsurprisingly Nike’s other summer football advert ‘The Last Game‘ came in at number two in the list bumping traditional superbowl heavyweights down the rankings, the combined views to date for both Nike adverts is 170 million.