Watch soccer stars do amazing tricks at this freestyle fútbol battle in Wynwood
Ready for some freestyle fútbol?
The Red Bull Street Style World Final will be held at the Wynwood Marketplace Nov. 15. It’s the first time ever this super fun tournament has been held in North America.
First launched in 2008, Red Bull Street Style is all about the stunts: The competition brings out the world’s best soccer freestylers in the world. You’ll see juggling, leaping, even gymnastics, all involving a soccer ball.
“The sport combines out-of-the-box creativity with extraordinary skills. Individual athletes express themselves by executing jaw-dropping freestyle tricks in head-to-head play,” says a release.
Trying to earn worldwide bragging rights are sports stars from such countries as Peru, Brazil, Iran, France and Japan.
Last year Norway’s Erlend Fagerli won the men’s and Poland’s Agnieszka “Aguska” Mnich captured the women’s title. Both will be back to defend their titles on Friday.
“The competition is not how many times they juggle, but instead, the tricks they pull off, how creative they can be, and of course – how much style/swag they bring to the head-to-head match-ups,” says spokesman Dan Palumbo. “Think a breakdancing battle with a soccer ball.”
A panel will score players on both their creativity and athletic skill. Among the judges are Luis Nani, former Manchester United and current Orlando City SC superstar; Mexican National Team legend Pável Pardo; and master juggler Séan Garnier, who won the first Red Bull Street Style in 2008.
Each round is three minutes, and as you can imagine, it goes pretty fast.
Details: Opening ceremony begins at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at Wynwood Marketplace, 2250 NW 2nd Ave., Miami; 305-239-8833, www.redbullstreetstyle.com
This story was originally published November 12, 2019 at 2:02 PM.
