Most Influential: Media members from New England

Danny Gildea (Courtesy photo)

On Instagram, he has nearly 450,000 followers. His Facebook page has more than 200,000 likes. Depending on the video, upwards of 3 million people might see it.

He’s Daniel Gildea — otherwise known as DG3 Soccer — and he is a social media sensation.

Originally from Scarborough, England, and now settled in northern Massachusetts, Gildea makes no bones about how he feels traditional approaches develop youth players.

“I played professionally in England and I understand you need to play one or two touch, but I’m not in the business of producing two-touch robots in a tactical system, especially when they’re 10, 11, 12 years old,” Gildea said, whose business was previously known as Soccer Assasins. “If a kid stops doing the technical work and the footwork, they’re not going to learn that when they get older.”