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Skills that pay the bills – Inside the life of freestyle footballer and double Guinness World Record holder Ben Nuttall

We all love to spend our evenings ploughing through random videos on YouTube from time to time.

Not many of us can say spending the hours watching these clips online has gone on to be a life-changing experience though.

However, this is the case for freestyle footballer Ben Nuttall, who explained watching one video from five-time world freestyle football champion Andrew Henderson would see him turn his back on football with his boyhood club Birmingham City to pursue a new interest which is now his full-time job.

And Ben, 18, isn’t half bad either. He has two Guinness World Records to his name and competes at the UK and world freestyle championships.

Oh, and he’s also performed at some of the world’s most iconic stadiums including Old Trafford and Anfield as well as at last year’s Champions League final, in the presence of Gary Lineker and singer Dua Lipa – juggling footballs alongside his A-Level revision!

He’s also spent time with some big names in Premier League football such as Sergio Aguero, Romelu Lukaku and Olivier Giroud.

These are things Ben has clearly worked hard for, spending countless hours in the garden and, well, any open space he can find, perfecting the skills the likes of Henderson have done, but that’s not how this incredible journey started for Ben.

Ben said: “I’ve been doing it full-time after finishing my A-Levels last year. I managed to build up a high level and when I was like 15 or 16 I got offered to do live performances and it kind of grew from there so I did it more and more.

“My first event was a local football club presentation in Birmingham. The club was called Olton Ravens. I was 15 and I was a little nervous but it went perfectly and they were really happy with it. I came back the following year.

“So during my last year of school I was virtually doing it all the time anyway. It was kind of just natural.”

Ben went on to say how freestyle football has led to him taking less of an interest in football but that doesn’t mean there aren’t players he is inspired by every so often.

He added: “I’m not too into football any more as I’m really busy with my freestyling and I prefer watching that to be honest.

“Football and freestyle football are two different things. Footballers can’t really do the tricks freestylers can do and it would be naïve of me to think I could go on a pitch with Premier League footballers and fit in!

“When I first started there were people like Ronaldinho, Neymar or Ronaldo who I’d look up to. Ronaldinho is an ambassador for freestyling so I look up to him. I would love to do some tricks with him.”

But the way Ben is going, the stars will be queuing up to see him as he already has two Guinness World Records.

He has the most kick-ups with a rugby ball with 187, smashing the previous record of around 60 and then the most neck passes inside a minute alongside friend and fellow freestyler Rebaz Mohammed.

A neck pass is where you control a football on the back of your neck and flick it up to your partner who then has to control it on the back of their neck.

To achieve one successful neck pass with any of my mates would be something to tell the grandchildren – Ben and Rebaz did 41 in 60 seconds, beating the previous record of 20.

This, coupled with a creditable second-placed finish for England at the UK freestyle championships made 2018 a very successful year for Ben but he’s not done there as he reveals what his plans are for 2019.

Ben said: “A few more world records would be nice as well as the UK and world championships. I want to continue performing at these big events. It’s an honour to have these opportunities.”

But he also has some long-term ambitions. Ben’s journey started when performing at schools and Sunday league football clubs and he hopes to give something back to the kids who have marvelled at the skills he’s able to produce before their very eyes.

Ben also realises how the rising popularity of freestyle football means there is an opportunity for him to make his name even further.

He added: “I also want to push freestyling out there to the kids more and get it more well known in the UK as well.

“I do a lot of workshops, kid’s birthday parties and even summer camps with football. I love it as some of the kids even seem to know freestyling quite well now from online.

“When I first started teaching them they started from nothing really and now they’ve progressed to a good level so they’re on the right track.

“Freestyling is a small community but it’s growing a lot. It’s a tight community and everyone supports each other. Obviously when you’re having competitions and battles it gets quite competitive but after it’s finished everyone is totally fine.

“Everyone knows each other even when at the world championships. I’m friends with some of the guys from Australia and that’s the other side of the world and we get on just fine.

“I hope to be the main face of UK freestyle and just push through freestyle to a bigger audience and keep helping the kids.

“I’d like it to be in the mainstream more and I’d like to be the ambassador for that.”

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