Kashmir’s football trick shot player grabs international attention

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir

Football trick shot player Shah Huzaib is busy assembling balls and baskets to practice his craft at home in the Budgam district of Kashmir,

It has been a routine for the 21-year-old since the 2016 unrest when Kashmir saw waves of violence and political instability after militant commander-Burhan Wani was killed in a military operation.

Though Huzaib was more interested in playing cricket, the abrupt shutdown in the region forced him to sit at home like many others.

Huzaib did not let time waste and he learned football freestyle tricks.

“I remember some of my friends were playing football and I also tried it out,” said Huzaib.

When none of his friends were around, he began to play alone and learned to play freestyle football.

When the internet was restored after the unrest, Huzaib was keen to learn new tricks. He watched YouTube videos and was inspired by the “Dude perfect channel,” a US-based sports entertainment group that showcases trick shots.

“I was literally blown away by the tricks they did. It brought a lot of confidence in me that I can do it as well,” said Huzaib.

After practicing for two years, there was no looking back.

More than 400 trick shots

Huzaib has mastered more than 400 trick shots and has been featured on international platforms.

In May, Spanish football club Sevilla FC featured his videos on their Instagram and Facebook pages.

His videos were also featured on the famous sports websites, “Oh My Goal” and “People Are Awesome” where they garnered millions of views.

One video, “Insane trick-shot,” where he kicked a tennis ball through two moving tape rolls generated around 5 million views on YouTube.

Another video was recently shared by German footballer Tony Kroos on his Instagram account.

Huzaib was awarded the Kashmir Young Achiever Award 2021. That same year, former Indian footballer Bhaichung Bhutia and Indian actor Sunil Shetty praised him on social media.

He was also invited to several television shows including India's Got Talent Season 9.

The tricks

Huzaib said the tricks require a lot of training, patience, skill, and presence of mind but one can do a perfect shot if one knows how to juggle the ball.

“Juggling and having a hold on it is important. Though shoot, accuracy and other calculations are equally important, juggling is a must for a perfect trick shot,” he said.

He said trick shots in a match give you an edge over other players.

“These trick shots make playing football more interesting because you have more of an edge than others to play in a different way and score more,” he said.

Huzaib wants to take his trick shots to an advanced level. He wants to become a star like his idol Cristiano Ronaldo but is disheartened at the same time because of the non-existence of proper sports infrastructure in the region.

“First of all, we don’t have proper sports culture in our region. We don’t have coaches and the necessary infrastructure where youth can invest themselves in -- it breaks my heart,” he said.