Tricks

If you’ve ever been on an exploration for videos that depict the finest of tomfoolery, there’s no doubt you’ve come across a Dude Perfect video. The quintet has over eight million subscribers and over one billion with a capital B collective video views. They’ve become such an internet sensation that CMT has given them their own television show starting in April. But before that happens, the group decided to take a trip across the pond to film a couple of videos with some of the Premier League’s most notable clubs.

Arsenal vs Liverpool was one of the most exciting Premier League games of the year. After the dust settled and I realized that my Gunners had somehow managed to both satisfy and disappoint with a 3-3 draw, I could admittedly only remember the goals, the glorious goals. But what would come to my attention after the game was a single piece of skill from Arsenal’s #10: Mesut Ozil’s first touch in the 80th minute.

Alessandro Rose Vieira, better known as Falcao, is Brazil’s futsal version of Pelé. For over 25 years, he’s been dazzling spectators with his improbable repertoire of tricks, skills and astounding goals. While the futsal legend may now be 38-years-old, age has done nothing to diminish the skills of Falcao. As evidenced by this saucy rainbow flick goal in a friendly charity match, the Brazilian has still got it.

Brazilian futsal legend Falcao's rainbow flick goal:

Neymar is simply stunning to watch play. He is everything that we hope a Brazilian superstar would be: creative, unpredictable, lightning on the pitch. He was just ranked as the third-best footballer in the world by The Guardian because he marries these qualities with effectiveness. It’s ironic then, that arguably Neymar’s best play of the year wound up ineffective. 

James Rodriguez led his Colombia squad through an epic keepy-uppy bin challenge ahead of their World Cup qualifying clash against Argentina on Tuesday. If you haven't seen one of these challenge videos before, it's a pretty simple concept. 

A group of players move the ball in an orderly fashion, never letting it touch the ground, using only their heads. After everyone in the rotation has headed the ball, the final player must head the ball into an empty waste bin.

We’ve seen Neymar Jr. take on Messi in a keepy up challenge and give the legend a close run for his money. 

Now the Brazilian is taking his skills to a whole new level to juggle some everyday household objects. Take a look. 

He makes it look too easy. 

HOOOOOOOOOO-K. What the hell have I just witnessed? The YouTube title told me that Cesar Martinez of the Venezuelan side Zamora was going to make the ball levitate, and I guess I don’t know what I was expecting, because I wasn’t expecting to watch him actually make the ball levitate. When did soccer become another edition of David Blain Street Magic? The only magic I’m supposed to see on the pitch is done with feet and is easily discernible in slow motion. This magic celebration, it’s something else entirely. 

Sometimes an idea comes to you on the pitch and you just gotta go with it. Great players all over the world will tell of how certain plays they make come down to muscle memory, or that they weren’t really sure how they knew what they were doing was the right thing at the time they were doing it. Of course, they know what they are doing the vast majority of the time, but they do sometimes act completely out of instinct.