TikTok star with 1.7m followers signs with Bulgarian top-flight club

Karan Tejwani

25 Oct 2022 13:30 BST
3 min read

It’s common to see pop culture and football mix in recent times, with several celebrities often getting into the sport, mostly in charity matches or for public events.

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Rarely have celebrities ever gone into professional football, or gone far, but there has been a change in that regard recently.

A Russian TikToker with 1.7 million followers on the platform has signed with Bulgarian top-flight side Botev Plovdiv after a successful try-out.

Mikhail Prokopiev, who is famous on TikTok for his short videos, generally about comedic skits relating to real life, has signed a deal with the top-flight club.

From TikTok to football

Prokopiev was on trial with the club for a few weeks before being signed permanently and he has some football experience in the past.

He played at the Zvezda St. Petersburg academy when he was younger as well as FC Strogino and various other amateur teams in Russia.

Earlier this year, Prokopiev made his debut in official matches for Zvezda and participated in matches of two stages of the Russian Cup.

He provided three assists in those two matches, against third division teams Zorki and Tver, showing he has some quality and can add some value to his new club.

Mihail Prokopiev signs for Botev Plovdiv

✍️ Player’s successfully passed a trial period in the team and signed a contact with the club.

⚽️ Mihail is a graduate of Zenit Sankt Petersburg. He played in FC Strogino and amateur teams in Russia.

Welcome, Misha! pic.twitter.com/Eol4XV3Fi7
— Botev Plovdiv (@botev_en) October 25, 2022

Now, he has passed his trials with Botev Plovdiv and will begin playing for them when given the chance, adding to his career as a social media star on TikTok.

On TikTok, in addition to the 1.7 million followers, he has amassed 48.4 million views across all his videos, a testament to how immense his reach is on the platform.

He has some experience as a celebrity footballer as well, previously playing for a team of gamers called 2Drots, showing he’s willing to combine both sides of his life.

How things work out for Prokopiev will be interesting to see, and if he can make an impact, maybe there’ll be a greater influx of TikTok stars into football.