Brooks Barker: “I’ve watched it at least a thousand times”
Frederik Hvillum
Brooks Barker went viral with his Robin van Persie look-a-like goal captured on Veo.
“Let’s just say I’ve been called Superman and Van Persie a lot.”
That's how the 15-year-old Utah-born striker begins when he's trying to put words to the Veo clip that has turned him into a global sensation on social media.
Earlier in August, Brooks Barker scored an incredible goal in Utah Celtic FC's 5-2 victory in the US Youth National Championships. His teammate and captain, Alex Antonio, delivered a perfect ball into the box, where Brooks Barker came flying in and headed it in. In fact, the two players had attempted the same move a couple of weeks earlier, so it wasn't an entirely new tactic from the green Utah Celtic FC players.
“Every time I play with our older team, the players always ask if I’ve got any more diving headers left for their team.” Brooks Barker says.
“When it went in, I was more surprised than anything. It felt like I had just been floating. My first instinct was to check the offside flag to make sure it was down. Once I saw the goal counted, I was absolutely stoked.” Brooks expresses. “A big game on the biggest stage in the country for youth footballers. It is definitely one of the best in my career so far.”
The goal quickly went viral on social media, where the Veo highlight has rapidly been viewed by several million followers across social platforms. There, he has been compared to the Dutch forward Robin van Persie's legendary goal at the 2014 World Cup, a goal FIFA nominated for the Puskás Award in 2014. Now he’s just waiting for a comment from the former Netherlands striker.
“I’m not gonna lie; I’ve been checking the likes and comments every single day. Mostly hoping Robin van Persie would like or comment,” Brooks Barker expresses, laughing. “It’s really amazing to think that people worldwide have been watching my goal.”
Watch the goal on Veo's Instagram here.
So, how was it to see the goal on Veo?
“It’s been amazing to see it after living the moment. I’ve probably watched it at least a thousand times. As soon as the game ended, I had parents going on the Veo Live Moments and showing me the goal. It was amazing! I am so glad that it got recorded.”
In addition to showcasing his phenomenal goal, Brooks Barker also utilizes Veo and his Player Profile to demonstrate to coaches for recruitment purposes. The dream for the young talent is clear: to secure a college scholarship.
“My goal is to get a college scholarship to play soccer at a D1 program. Veo has helped me start putting together highlights with goals like this one. Veo is a great tool for players all over the world.”
