Five Female Football Freestylers You’ll Fall In love With Immediately
Freestyling in Football has come a long away since its inception as part of a jovial back and forth between male footballers who would demonstrate their skill on the football pitch. As appearances should never be an assumption of talent and skill, it should come as no surprise as we welcome the emergence of amazing Female Football Freestylers. These women and young girls are in a league of their own equally displaying extreme dexterity and skill with the ball whilst radiating a certain joie de vivre.
This positivity is spreading quickly as the first Female European and World Freestyling championships have already taken place in 2019, cementing the important value of women in a traditional sport like football, which still has biases around gender. Yet, the overarching feeling you will sense from these 5 diverse profiles is their collective push for female empowerment and representation as they make Freestyling into their unique brands, whether it’s through new and innovative skills, incorporating music, dance and even heels
Lisa Zimouche (@lisafreestyle)
21 year old French and Algerian native Lisa embodies the Freestyling spirit constantly breaking new ground with her approach to performance. Several videos see her quick on her feet which translates successfully to her signature skill of Nutmegging as she marauds the ball between her opponents legs to loud cheers. As an outsider looking in these tricks look easy but this only humbles the training and motivation that is required to execute them. At such a young age, Lisa has proven herself worthy with sponsorships by Puma and a promotional campaign video FIFA, which captures her charismatic qualities as well as skill. Her talent has seen her play around the world including America and the UK.
““My goal is inspire women and to show that my story is not something special””
Raquel Benetti (@raquelfreestyle)
It’s evident that Raquel has a great brand that showcases her femininity as well as her skill as a Freestyler. In a country like brazil where football is practically indoctrinated from birth, Raquel capitalises on that with no qualms in showcasing her culture and pride in her identity. Like anything we do in life confidence plays a huge part in our success and Raquel has bucket loads, expanding her brand into a YouTube channel which has already garnered 85 million views. She also has an affinity for connecting with her fans as her online shop stocks footballs with her logo branded on for that special detail. Raquel showcases the glamorous side of freestyling and how it’s important to highlight your personality without feeling rigid as rules are indeed meant to be broken.
Rasheedat Ajibade (@rasheedatt10)
This 21 yr old footballer that hails from Nigeria has a beautiful calming energy in contrast to the other profiles on this list. This doesn’t by any means negate the passion that Rasheedat displays as she regularly posts videos of her training programmes as well motivational quotes to encourage her fans. Excitingly, she plays for the Nigerian football team as well as the Norwegian soccer team Avaldsnes IL which provides her international appeal. Rasheedat’s also takes pride in her Muslim religion which would explain her balanced outlook on life. In addition her tomboy aesthetic is second nature as she confidently sports funky jerseys, blazers and dyed hair. Keep up to date with her bold international adventures and hopefully learn a few Freestyling tricks along the way.
Alice Fougeray (@alice_freestyle)
It’s not clear why we are drawn to this freestyler but we can’t deny her strengths, which she uses to advocate the message, ‘never give up’ which coincidentally is the same moniker as her online shop, which endorses mental health awareness through colourful hoodies, T-shirt’s and wristbands. As well as her entrepreneurial spirit Alices panache at freestyling is undeniable, her rawness lends well to her skill giving an unpredictable edge to her stylistic delivery. The french freestyler truly values giving back as she coaches young children in the art of Freestyling. Alice brings her heart to football as her instagram lets us in to her personal side:lyrical ‘freestyling’, weight-loss pictures and insights into personal triumphs and failures are what we’ve been graced with. Alice is simply a refreshing individual to look into and the more we delve in the more we adore her.
““A dream which quickly turns into a nightmare when she seriously injured her ankle... she decides not to be put down and finds comfort in taking an artistic path that is Freestyle Football” - Alice-hyphenfreestyle.fr”
Valerie Sue (@val_freestyle)
Our final contender, may fall under the radar of the Freestyling community, but she is inspiring in her own lane. The Singaporean Freestyler is also a recent graduate of international business and sports management as well as an ambassador for SportSingapore, notable Freestyling communities and tournaments. What truly stands out about Valerie is how she is incorporating dance like salsa into her freestyle routines as she is often seen skilfully dribbling in heels. This is not an easy feat however her ‘go-getter’ attitude highlights her bravery in totally defying gender norms and expectations of a female freestyler. Valerie has already proven her hustle frequently promoting brands on her instagram, being featured in an insurance advert and training with football royalty, Jay-Jay Okocha. Her exciting resume shows that she’s been active since 2011 and not a newbie to the game.
““Football Freestyle allows me to express myself. I look at it more as an art than a sport” ”
Words by Funmi Olagunju
