Tricks

The magisterial dribbling skills of players like Neymar, Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria are revered the world over. These players are commonly heralded as masters of the ball, dribbling wizards who require the attention of multiple defenders in order to be stopped or at least contained. 

After any given weekend, social media will be crawling with vines and GIFs of these superstars flat-out embarrassing opposition. Outside of this prevailing common knowledge, who are some of the world’s best dribblers? 

We all know that Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil can stick the ball to his feet like it’s a bulbous piece of Juicy Fruit, but Adidas’ new skills video may have taken that simile a little too literally. 

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.