World Freestyle Day
To mark World Freestyle Day (1st September 2020), Goal Click teamed up with the World Freestyle Football Association for a new special series. From Chile and Brazil to Vietnam and Finland, we asked 10 elite Freestylers across the world to tell their personal stories using their own words and a single photo. This is Part 1. Read on for their stories…
Katerina Karali, Lemnos, Greece
My name is Katerina Karali, I’m 25 years old and from Greece. I’m currently studying as a civil engineer in Trikala and have been Freestyling for 8 years. I helped to establish the Hellenic Freestyle Football Association (HFFA). We give Freestyle Football coaching and my personal mission is to help my country learn more about Freestyle Football culture and get more kids into the sport.
I used to play football in our local female team in my town Lavrio where I was born. I started when I was 10 years old. In 2012 I saw a video from Soufiane Touzani on YouTube and ever since then I have been practising both football & Freestyle Football. But in 2016 I had a bad injury and because of mistakes by the doctors, I had to stop training for many months. My knee continued to cause me troubles, so I decided to give up football and focus only on Freestyle Football. After a while and a few more visits to the doctors I was told I must also stop Freestyle because ‘it’s not made for my body’! However, I continued and in 2018 I participated for the first time in Super Ball. It was the best experience ever for me. I met my idols for the first time in person and felt so happy that I forgot all about my knee injury.
In 2019 my knee injury got worse. I couldn’t run or walk properly, and I wasn’t able to afford the surgery costs. So, I started a campaign in GoFundMe and immediately a huge number of freestylers from our community helped me to raise all the money I needed for surgery. I felt so happy that I burst into tears because I was finally able to get the treatment and come back to training Freestyle. Now in 2020 I have come back to almost 60% of my potential and my aim is to finish the year at 100%.
Freestyle is a part of me; it’s my life. It’s a sport that allows me to overcome depression, teaches me to believe in myself and has taught me not to give up and to always fight to become better and better. This photo is of me, taken on the Greek Island of Lemnos whilst I was on vacation and I’m doing my V stall. I liked that spot whilst the sun was going down. Wherever I travel, I always have the ball with me to take some cool pictures.
Freestyle football helped me to be more well-known in my country. There are very few girls who practice Freestyle, so people recognise me a lot when they see me on the road. Women’s football in my country has grown a lot during the last 5 years and there are now many more opportunities for the girls who want to be in a team. Also, the Greek national team give some recognition to those girls and some of them are now playing abroad. But their salaries are so low compared to the men, that it is still hard for people to live from. I hope more people can discover Freestyle Football and that we can not only be in the shadows of football.
Follow Katerina @katerina_freestyle
Julio Cisneros - San José, Costa Rica
My name is Julio Cisneros, a professional Football Freestyler from Costa Rica. I entered the world of football freestyle when I was 15 years old during my college years, inspired by a local Freestyler called Kika Pol. I entered my first competition in 2010, which was Red Bull Street Style. During this event I met a lot of good people who also were passionate about the sport. After that event I started to contact all the freestylers in my country and make regular meetings in the capital city San Jose.
After many years without an official competition in my country, I decided to organize events by myself and give the opportunity for other athletes to be part of this sport. I continue to freestyle to this day and my dream is still to participate in the World Championships.
This photo was taken on the street in a forest region of Costa Rica called Ciudad Colon Rodeo. It shows my sacrifice for the sport; the compromises I have made and my continued passion for the ball. It also represents that no matter what happens in your life, all you need is a ball to succeed. I believe that My Ball and I can go anywhere, and we always will be fine.
Football is the most popular sport in my country, and it is an important part of people's lives. There is no defining age limit for the sport; everyone here loves football. Football Freestyle represents the magic of a football and is an evolution of creativity with it.
Follow Julio @joulecisneros
Pradeep Ramesh, Chennai, India
My name is Pradeep Ramesh and I started Freestyle in 2010 after my college studies. I turned down a regular job to pursue a career in Freestyle Football and since then there was no looking back. I became the first Indian to represent the country in the World Finals of Freestyle Football and I performed my skills all over the country appearing on various TV channels. I have broken 3 Guinness World Records and have created an academy here in Chennai where I live. Currently I run a YouTube channel with over 200,000 subscribers, which is one of the biggest sport-based YouTube channels in India. One day I would love to see the World Championships for Freestyle Football come to Chennai. We have a very active community of Freestylers here.
This photo features me with some of my students who attended a special workshop that I held on World Freestyle Day 2020 (September 1st) and we just wanted to capture the moment. You can see the curiosity in the kids who attended the workshop. Freestyle always captures the imagination of so many kids.
Awareness for football and Freestyle Football is still not very big in proportion to the size of our country. Although through my YouTube channel I reach a lot of young children and the way I see things is that the mobile phone has become a part of our hands now. Especially with kids. So, I see a huge opportunity to use this influence that the mobile phone / YouTube world has to promote the Freestyle community. Through this we can promote good health and lifestyle for more people across India.
Follow Pradeep @prsoccerart
Tungage, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
My name is Tungage (my full name is Doan Thanh Tung) and I’m from Vietnam. I have been Freestyling for around 12 years now. The ball is the key for my life. It gives me the sense of freedom and satisfaction. It has saved me in difficult times, and it provides me with a way to make a full-time career.
This photo is from a backstreet of Hanoi. It represents my passion and experience of getting through dark times in life and surviving thanks to always having a vision with my football at my side.
Football is so popular in Vietnam. Especially 7-a-side football for participation. Freestyle Football is still very small here, although we have a strong community. I am trying my hardest to share my skills and experiences with the next generation and I hope that more people can discover the passion I have for it.
Follow Tungage @tungage
Ricardinho, Salvador, Brazil
My name is Iago Vitorini. I've been practicing Freestyle Football for 15 years and I'm one of the freestyle pioneers in Brazil. I always loved football since I was a child, and now I can express myself through ball tricks.
This picture is taken of Ricardo Chahini (aka Ricardinho), 2019 Freestyle Football World Champion. The photo was taken in Pelourinho, a landmark in Salvador, Bahia, whilst I was filming a documentary about his journey and experiences as a professional Freestyler. This film can be seen on my YouTube channel and is called ‘Freestyle Paradise Film’.
We were recording an old Freestyle trick combination in the middle of the streets and I was trying to capture the feeling about old school Freestyle days and how the sport has changed throughout the years.
I live in Brazil, so football is our main source of entertainment! Freestyle Football has recently been shown in mainstream media way more than ever before, and that's a good thing. I hope it continues and this sport can become more widely appreciated.
Follow Iago @iagovitorini
Séan Garnier
My name is Séan Garnier. I am a world champion of freestyle football (2008/2010), street football and futsal champion. I started this ball journey when I was 6 years old and at the age of 19, I made it as a pro footballer. However just one year later, due to injury I switched to street and freestyle football.
I saw this amazing place with this monument which represents the world. For me, I think the ball is like the world and as a Freestyler who also travels all over the globe, I wanted to capture this moment by demonstrating that the world could be controlled or balanced on the sole of my foot.
Freestyle and street football is a way to express yourself. It allows any individual the opportunity to realise their full potential and grow. You can face life in a fearless way once you have experienced the emotions and life skills that you develop through spending hours with a football.
Follow Séan @seanfreestyle
