YouTube star Ciarán takes skills to Brazil

There will an Irish influence, after all, at the World Cup with 10-year-old wonderkid Ciarán Duffy the centrepiece of the official McDonald’s television commercial for the tournament.

The Dubliner’s majestic skills had already attracted over seven million hits on his personal YouTube channel but this breakthrough has broadened his global appeal.

Following a long selection process, Ciarán was chosen from a field of thousands to be the youngest member of the cast. He and his father Mick were flown to Brazil last month for filming and the advert has gone live online in the past week.

The Shamrock Rovers starlet — known as ‘Mini-Messi’ on his Twitter handle — is seen in the footage showcasing the skills that earned him an invitation into Manchester United’s school of excellence at the age of just eight.

He performs a number of his specialist tricks during 90-second production, including a sublime lob into a basket while it’s moving up an escalator.

So impressed were advert organisers with the ability of the youngster that he’s been invited back to Rio to act as a player escort for the meeting of holders Spain and Chile at the Maracana stadium on June 18. Corporate guests attending the games may be entertained by the Irish maestro during the half-time or water break intervals.

“This all started when an agency from Hollywood expressed an interest in casting Ciarán for the commercial,” said Mick of his son, who attends Scoil Crónáin in Rathcoole.

“It was an incredible experience for Ciarán. The crew rented out an office building for the day to shoot but it took just two hours for him to finish his part of the advert.

“For someone of his age, he wasn’t daunted at all by a production crew of 80 people. All he wants to do is play football and it doesn’t come bigger than this.”

Ciarán’s first came to prominence at eight. At the invitation of RTÉ, he performed his various tricks on its Saturday Night Show.