An interview with Mastan, a freestyle footballer who loves football and continues to play it…
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Prestyle soccer players have better ball control than normal soccer players. Technically they will excel. Ronaldinho is a great player who is an inspiration to all. He is also my inspiration. I have been interested in football since my school days. Family circumstances made it impossible to continue at one point. I also had some injuries. After that I learned about freestyle from YouTube.
I learned a lot from the athletes themselves. I started traveling with the best players. Now as a coach I also teach a lot of students. Ball control is very important in this game. We provide training for the same. Achieving this requires rigorous training. Among the current players, Neymar excels at this. Ronaldinho was the best player before that. Technique is very important in football in general. And then everything else.
We provide students with training on how to handle the best techniques. So far we have trained more than 250 children in my academy. Students who have studied with us are making achievements in various states. Football is a growing sport in India. Earlier football did not have that much support. Now governments are taking various initiatives to promote football. I hope we can play FIFA in five years.
There are not enough grounds to play football in Tamil Nadu. Even the Corporation grounds are now reduced. Many of those stadiums have been converted into parks. Many schools now have no stadiums. Like any other sport, there is politics in football. It is difficult to get opportunities for everyone here. In my opinion it is better to start training from a young age. We have started an association of freestyle footballers in Chennai.
The youth in North Chennai naturally have an interest in football. There are no streets where football is not played. They are football players from childhood. At football clubs, talent often comes down to opportunity. There will be no politics. Sportspersons do not get the publicity that actors and actresses get in the media. After the arrival of ISL, the interest in football has increased here. Many celebrities supported it. It should increase further.
Freestyle football is not yet recognized as a sport. It may take some time. Through the shows we conduct, many people get an understanding and interest in this sport. Sports make us personally better. This requires not only skill but also physical fitness. My dream is to produce better footballers for our country. It would be nice if the government increased the employment for sportspersons more.