We
tracked down the Dutch kid whose amazing free-kicks have become a YouTube
sensation. Have a look at his spectacular strikes and find out why he thinks a
Beckham bender is better than a Ronaldo rocket
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Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale,
Lionel Messi, Xabi Alonso, Mauricio
Pochettino… there are plenty of players who could claim to be the world's
best at free-kicks.
But none of these superstar names
have anything on 19 year-old Bas van Velzen from the Netherlands - an amateur
player who likes a few beers.
Bas does not look like a footballer.
By his own admission, he's carrying a bit of timber. But take a look at our
video of his most unstoppable efforts, and you'll soon agree his free-kicks are
better than anything you've seen on TV.
Bas has a seemingly simple secret:
he has mastered the art of the knuckleball. It's the weird-looking method of
striking a free-kick that makes it dip and swerve unusually; the technique made
famous by Cristiano
Ronaldo.
But perhaps unlike Real Madrid's
superstar, the ability didn't come naturally to Bas.
"The funny thing is," he
tell Row Zed, "when I was little, I had problems just hitting the ball
correctly! I had to train all the time to get better. Ronaldo was the one who
inspired me. I spent a lot of late nights watching YouTube videos of his free
kicks, learning from his knuckleball technique. But I’d also try to Bend It Like Beckham!"
So whose technique is better?
"Oh, that's tough. I'd say the
Ronaldo technique is more spectacular, but Beckham’s curlers are more
effective. I always prefer a Ronaldo free-kick when he gets it right, but
sometimes, a knuckle ball can go out of the stadium!"
Not for Bas, judging by the clips
we've seen.
So, the key question. How is that a
bloke with technique and skill like this isn't a professional footballer?
"Well, I play amateur football
with my friends - I play No10. It’s like your Sunday League football - we have
a lot of beers after. If I lost a lot of weight, I could maybe be a
professional one day. I guess I might have to stop drinking beer first…"
Still, even with those extra few
pounds around the waistline, Bas has still come close to playing at a decent
level. The problem is, he's quite picky about who he plays for.
"I support PEC Zwolle, my local
team - we’re third in the table, so we are a bit like Southampton this
season. Our big local rivals, Go Ahead Eagles, asked me to train with them, but
I would never do that. Never!"
WANT TO HIT A KNUCKLEBALL FREE KICK
AS WELL AS BAS? WE ASKED THE MAN HIMSELF HOW IT'S DONE…
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You can see loads more of Bas on his
official YouTube channel and his Facebook page. You
might even learn a thing or two…
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