Freestyler: Wass

Wassim Benslimane is not just another Freestyler. You don’t rack up almost 500,000 Facebook likes and 17,500 Twitter followers just because you have a penchant for juggling a soccer ball. No, Wassim, or "Wass," as he is known, is a showman and competitor.

Take a look for yourself: 

We were first introduced to him when we saw this late night juggling session on YouTube. As you can see, it was just him, a ball, some dope music, and a room entirely too small for any mere amateur to juggle in. 

He pulled it off. We were enchanted. 

Then we found his YouTube channel ("Wass Freestyle Ball"), and saw him dressed up as the Joker from the Dark Night, and heard that he competed in freestyle tournaments across the globe, and we just couldn’t figure out what we liked best about this guy. He even has his own website, wassfreestyleball.com, and was no less mysterious for it. We needed to know more, and luckily for us, he has lifted the veil.  

We are proud to present the latest edition of The18’s Feature Player Profile: Wass. Here are 18 questions that show Wass for what he is - the real deal. 

1. How old are you? I'm 28 years old, born January 5th, 1987.

2. Where are you from? I live in Paris, but my origins are from Algeria. The way I look at it, I have two nationalities, French and Algerian. I choose to represent Algeria in my sport.

3. How did you get started with freestyle soccer? I started in 2006 after watching commercials online and on TV from brands like Nike with big soccer players – Henry and Ronaldinho, for example. I fell in love with the sport and it has been a dream for me to be able to make a career of it! I played soccer for 9 years previously, but I stopped to focus on freestyle football.

4. What's your best trick? All my tricks are different and are made in different ways. So it's hard to say which one is best. Each has his own particularity. I would say the "Labyrinth" - one that I invented 2 years ago - is maybe the most difficult: 

5. What's one skill any freestyler needs to cultivate? Being open-minded is something that any freestyler should develop in order to get inspiration from everywhere and to not put limits on what can be done.

6. What freestyler do you most admire? While there is no single freestyler I admire most, there are many with good styles that I like. Someone who impressed me is a very old juggler called Francis Brunn. He was in the circus years ago and he was already doing some tricks with the ball that freestylers do nowadays.  

7. What's the coolest thing you've done in the sport? Just the sport itself, because it brings me so many cool things everyday - like meeting people, sharing good moments, traveling, discovering new cultures, training and so many other things! 

8. What advice would you give someone just starting out in the sport? Be patient, be original and never give up. 

9. What is your greatest moment as a freestyler? Every day is my greatest moment. Living my passion is, for me, a big opportunity. I thank God and I wish everyone could live the same! 

10. What was your worst moment as a freestyler? I would say losing competitions in the finals! That a very hard feeling, especially when you really think that you will win. It can make you sad, but that makes you stronger. 

11. How did you get past your worst moment? Training is the best thing to help you forget because you just focus on the ball. 

12. What is the hardest part about trying to make money from freestyle? I work hard everyday, in my training, with my image, on social media, in my videos. It takes a lot of time, but it is worth it. [I believe] hard work always pays off, but the hardest part is to be very consistent in the long term and to always move forward.

13. What's the ultimate soccer experience you'd like to have? Scoring a goal at the 90-minute mark in a World Cup final with the Algerian National Soccer Team against Brazil, after a very tight game with a 0-0 score. Until I kill the game, of course.

14. Where in the world has freestyle football taken you? Freestyle has brought me to so many places: Japan, New York, Dubai, South Africa, Spain, Italy, Qatar, Singapore, Los Angeles, Lebanon and so many other countries. Every country has its own story, but I loved my last trip to New York.

15. What talent would you most like to have if you could choose any?  I would choose the ability to do crazy gymnastic and acrobatic moves, because I train with breakdancers everyday for my inspiration and I always see them doing crazy stuff. I wish one day I could do the same.

16. What other sports and activities do you enjoy? I do a lot of cardio: running and fitness stuff. I love cooking as well. In general, I have a very healthy lifestyle and I like to be a good example.

17. What's your day job?  I have 2 types of day jobs: business meetings and training, then traveling and performing. So I'm always busy, never inactive.

18. Where will we see you in 5 years? I have many goals, but sometimes things happen in your life that you never expected - and it can be much better than what you were waiting for. I never thought that I would be able to live off freestyle, so in 5 years it's hard for me to say where I will be. One thing is for sure, though, I will work hard to succeed in any way God wants.

    You can see more of Wass on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or on his website www.wassfreestyleball.com