By Matt Slater
YOU’RE convinced you have what it takes to become a professional footballer, but clubs just won’t give you a trial. So what do you do?
Well, Brandon Diau turned to YouTube as a means of showcasing his ability – and he’s just signed on the dotted line for National League North outfit Kidderminster Harriers.
While the Worcestershire club are now in the sixth tier of the English game – having spent five successive seasons in the Football League from 1999 – who knows how far Diau may now go?
And what an unconventional way to start your journey.
Diau felt he needed to embrace the video platform as he wasn’t being considered for trials.
The striker built up over 15,000 subscribers on YouTube and is known as ‘Brandao’.
The challenge he set himself was to sign with a professional club after 365 days.
And on day 105 of the challenge, the 26-year-old signed a professional contract with Harriers.
“To finally get signed by a professional club was unbelievable!” he said.
“At first I couldn’t believe it was true. I have been through so many trials in my life where I had felt rejection and I was so happy to be proving those people wrong.
“I even cried when I realised what I had achieved. Even my family had doubted me at stages, so it was the best feeling when I signed the contract.”
The German created the YouTube series after playing for semi-professional sides Burgess Hill, Cheshunt and Tunbridge Wells.
The first trial Diau was gifted, due to the series, was at Southern League Premier South side, Truro City.
Only two months later, he was a Kidderminster player.
The most famed club of his senior career is the rich and controversial non-league side, Billericay Town.
Bizarrely it was whilst in a shop that the defender bumped into a man who had contacts with the Essex-based club.
Diau was bought for £23,000 and moved from a centre-back to striker.
Diau had a very successful loan spell at Redditch United earlier in this season and scored nine goals in eight games. He now plies his trade at Stafford Rangers, having been sent out by Harriers on loan.
He said: “Being sent out on loan, at first, was a bit weird. I want to play for Harriers, but I accepted it as another challenge I must face.
“Everything happens for a reason, so I’m not worried at all.”
The centre-back as he was at the time, started his footballing journey aged five,at his hometown club of SSV Plittersdorf in Germany.
During his youth career, he found himself playing at the academies of Bayer Levekusen, Hamburger SV and SF Troisdorf.
At the latter, he played in the under-17’s Bundesliga – the highest level of German academy football.
To gain first team experience, Diau left his homeland and moved to Israel where he played for second division side, Hapoel Afula.
Five months into his journey in Israel, the German was forced leave and continue his trade back in his homeland for SVN Zweibrucken, due to heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians.
The striker has had to make extensive sacrifices throughout his career, to make his dream a reality.
“I had to leave my family to forge my career,” he explained.
“I had to share rooms with six other people so I could save money to afford to get to trials.
“I took a job as a kitchen porter so I could get some money and even travelled to countries like Sweden for trials”.
The German took a career defining move and moved to England to further his career and push for professional status.
And now Diau is not thinking about where his future lies.
“For now, I’m a Kidderminster player and I’m happy with that,” he said.
“My mentality is to score every time I play, and I will continue to think that.”