SEAN VS. ROCKY
Freestyle football obviously has its roots in football, the ‘beautiful game’, soccer, futebol or whatever else you wish to call it. And like football, freestyle soccer is very diverse and caters to ballers from all over the globe from all walks of life.
Looking at the final 16 freestylers who have qualified for the knockout phase of the Red Bull Street Style World Final proves just that and should make for some very interesting battles bringing together the various different forms of freestyle played on the different continents.
The European delegation, headed by current Champion Arnaud ‘Sean’ Garnier, are very different in many ways to the South American and African contingency who have reached the latter stages of this prestigious tournament. In many ways the European style is cleaner and neater than that of the South Americans and Africans whose styles are more raw and disorganized. This diversity of culture and style is best illustrated when pairing rivals like the polished performer Sean with an individual street baller like Rocky from Colombia, a self-confessed student of life.
Garnier hails from the cosmopolitan city of Paris where various forms of freestyle sport and lifestyle are very popular, whereas Rocky is fresh from the streets of Bogota earning his living as a street performer doing what he does best.
The current winner of freestyle soccer versus the young upstart from the streets…that is what Red Bull Street Style is all about. In truth Rocky almost never made it to Cape Town. His dream almost in tatters before even arriving in South Africa when he almost missed his flight being unable to pay for the airport taxes from Sao Paolo. Fortunately fellow freestyler and Red Bull Street Style judge Phillip Gertsson from Sweden was able to help him out in his time of need. To make matters worse he then dislocated his shoulder in the first day of training upon arrival but still managed to qualify top of his group without dropping a point in any of his battles.
An underdog, like his namesake (he admits to listening to Eye of the Tiger for inspiration before competing), who has won over the hearts of the local fans if ever there was…Rocky was expected to fair well in 2008 but stage fright got the better of him and he failed to make it to the elite 16. This time around he seems to have got the better of his nervous disposition and has been a revelation at Red Bull Street Style World Final in Cape Town.
Different lifestyles, different cultures, different styles but both super-talented individuals with one common goal, to be crowned this year’s Red Bull Street Style World finalist!
They may not even compete against each other at the World Final but these are the types of battles one can expect at the Red Bull Street Style World Final. They head into the Finals as two of the favourites but who will have the passion and heart to go all the way…the talent and incredible skill is evident in both but who will have what it takes to go all the way?
