2 minRed Bull Street Style action clip Action from the Red Bull Street Style world final 2014 in Salvador, Brazil.
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RedBull.com spoke exclusively to the newly-crowned freestyle world champion just after he’d landed in the UK following a long flight back from Brazil – the Red Bull Street Style trophy among his carry-on baggage!
Salvador, Brazil, hosted the 2014 world final of the freestyle soccer event where the most talented jugglers of a football competed against each other in a series of three-minute rounds to earn the vote of a five-person judging panel.
After a trick-filled final battle between Henderson and Argentinian Charly Iacono, Brazilian World Cup-winner Rai raised the UK baller’s arm to signal the win and the achievement of a long-held dream for the 23-year-old.
“It feels awesome to have won," said Henderson. "2010 was my first international competition and I went out to Red Bull Street Style in South Africa. I was a complete underdog but got past the group as top seed and became the favourite to win it after the group stages, and then I lost in the top-16 round. From there, I knew I had to win the competition, and it's been my dream. I’m still over the moon, it hasn’t sunk in one bit and I can’t wait to get back and celebrate with my family.”
"When I was younger I was into a lot of different sports. I was focused on playing football and also rugby, which I enjoyed a lot. The best thing about freestyle is that you don’t need any special facilities, you just need a ball. When I was starting out, there was a guy called Mr Woo. He’s a legend of freestyle from South Korea. He was doing these crazy tricks, where he was lying down and juggling the ball. I was thinking, ‘I wish I could do that,’ and he was a big inspiration. The most important thing for anybody starting is to enjoy it. There are world championships which you train for, but that’s not the point – you train because you enjoy it."
2. Have at least one big trick up your sleeve
I’m pretty sure the Henderson Move won it for me
"There was one trick called the Henderson Move that I did in Brazil, that's one of my signature tricks. I named it after myself, obviously! I pulled that out in the last 30 seconds of the final and I’m pretty sure that won it for me. It’s a trick that I’ve been practising a while. I tried it in the semi-finals but didn’t quite land it. In the final, you can see the reaction of everybody when I made it."
Vegetables, lots of fruit and lots of water are essential
"I put a lot of my success down to my diet. I eat pretty much all organic. In the past, I’ve had a gluten-free diet. Wheat-free, dairy-free, I just try to be super-healthy. Vegetables, lots of fruit and lots of water are essential. Some people eat really well but don’t take on enough fluid, and that can be bad for training."
4. Mix it with the world’s best
It was really cool just to hang out with Neymar
"I've worked with Lionel Messi and David Beckham and I really like Neymar. He’s the same age as me and he likes to have fun with the ball. He wants to be the best and I have a lot of admiration for him. We met earlier this year and did a commercial together before the World Cup in Brazil, which was pretty crazy, and it was really cool just to hang out with him."
5. Don’t be afraid to try something different...
When everyone’s screaming at all the tasks, I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’d try that!’
"I've also worked with [English rapper] Tinchy Stryder, but didn't know he was doing [Australian-jungle-based UK reality TV show] I'm a Celebrity… I’m sure he’ll do all right, but he'll be shocked by the change in culture. I don’t know how he’ll do, but I’m looking forward to watching it when I get back home now! Would I like to do it?! I’d love to go into the jungle, I love nature. When everyone’s screaming at all the tasks, I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’d try that!’"
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