iets frans SPORT x Lirian Santos
Meet Lirian Santos @liriansantoss, the football freestyler bringing creativity to her field. In collaboration with iets frans SPORT we chat to Lirian to find out more about football freestyling, tips for getting involved and what's next for her sport.
Tell us your story... I'm a football freestyler based in North London, but originally from Brazil. Growing up I remember having a kick about with my family and there always being a football at my feet. My passion for football originated from my culture, as Brazilian culture is heavily football orientated. There's this passion for football that I don't think exists in any other country and the Brazilian style of play has always been a very skilful one. When you a watch an 11-a-side game, you'll see that the Brazilian players love to dribble or do some sort of skill.
How did you get into freestyling?
For a lot of Brazillian’s, football is a way to entertain people, and this is the reason why I got into football freestyling. I've always loved the idea of playing football, but I also really enjoyed the skill aspects of the game. Freestyling is one of the most amazing sports as it’s something you can do by yourself and if you want to learn something new, it just depends on you. As it’s a solo sport, you must do your own training, and the harder you train, the better you get. It also means I can do as many skills as I want. The whole purpose of freestyling is the creativity and freedom that you have within sport. During the pandemic, I wanted to learn a skill I could do and practice by myself. It started off as a hobby and soon became a profession, which I still can't believe sometimes. I'm so happy that there's this opportunity for me in this field, and for women especially as I saw little representation growing up.
Earliest football memory... is watching players such as Ronaldinho’s best moments when I was younger, and his entertaining playing was something that really influenced me. This is where my inspiration came from.
If you could change anything in sport, what would you change?
The mentality that it’s all about results. For me, I love the entertainment side of football but in any sport, having this freedom gives you so much room for creativity, which in turn makes practising your sport that much more of an enjoyable experience. This is what sport should be, it should be something that you use to relieve stress and truly enjoy yourself.
What would your industry look like in 5 years?
I would like my industry to be saturated with people that genuinely enjoy football, enjoy the skilful aspects and want to enhance their creativity. I especially want to see women feeling confident enough to try these daring skills - it’s empowering to see women do something impressive.
How can the UO community support and help drive change?
Show what women can do and achieve, especially in sport, to motivate a whole generation of girls. When I was younger, due to a lack of role models, I did not believe that I would ever be able to do anything professionally football-related or as a potential career.
Advice for someone who wants to get into freestyle football...
Do not be afraid to start. Sometimes we wait and make excuses. For example, I will wait ‘til I am in better shape or wait to practice 'til I have more time.
Taking the first leap and practicing the basics e.g. juggling the ball, is just as important.
Do not give up. Cliche but true. There are going to be a lot of trial-and-error days, days where you are frustrated for not being able to land a trick, but I guarantee you that there is no better feeling than landing a trick you have been working hard on. So, carry on and trust the process.
3 things everyone should know about your sport...
1. It takes a lot of solo practice, so it is always good to find other freestylers to train with as it can get lonely sometimes.
2. There are no rules you can do what you want; you have full creative freedom.
3. People are always impressed by it.
Spotlight 3 emerging people who are pushing boundaries in their sport...
1. @loganfreestyle
2. @qhouirunnisa
3. @ohleow
What’s next for creativity in sport?
In my eyes, football is art. There are people who focus heavily on stats and end results but do not acknowledge the beauty or creativity in football. I would love for people to appreciate the entertainment side of football and be able to enjoy the sport as it is just as important as winning championships.
How did you get into freestyling?
For a lot of Brazillian’s, football is a way to entertain people, and this is the reason why I got into football freestyling. I've always loved the idea of playing football, but I also really enjoyed the skill aspects of the game. Freestyling is one of the most amazing sports as it’s something you can do by yourself and if you want to learn something new, it just depends on you. As it’s a solo sport, you must do your own training, and the harder you train, the better you get. It also means I can do as many skills as I want. The whole purpose of freestyling is the creativity and freedom that you have within sport. During the pandemic, I wanted to learn a skill I could do and practice by myself. It started off as a hobby and soon became a profession, which I still can't believe sometimes. I'm so happy that there's this opportunity for me in this field, and for women especially as I saw little representation growing up.
Earliest football memory... is watching players such as Ronaldinho’s best moments when I was younger, and his entertaining playing was something that really influenced me. This is where my inspiration came from.
If you could change anything in sport, what would you change?
The mentality that it’s all about results. For me, I love the entertainment side of football but in any sport, having this freedom gives you so much room for creativity, which in turn makes practising your sport that much more of an enjoyable experience. This is what sport should be, it should be something that you use to relieve stress and truly enjoy yourself.
What would your industry look like in 5 years?
I would like my industry to be saturated with people that genuinely enjoy football, enjoy the skilful aspects and want to enhance their creativity. I especially want to see women feeling confident enough to try these daring skills - it’s empowering to see women do something impressive.
How can the UO community support and help drive change?
Show what women can do and achieve, especially in sport, to motivate a whole generation of girls. When I was younger, due to a lack of role models, I did not believe that I would ever be able to do anything professionally football-related or as a potential career.
Advice for someone who wants to get into freestyle football...
Do not be afraid to start. Sometimes we wait and make excuses. For example, I will wait ‘til I am in better shape or wait to practice 'til I have more time.
Taking the first leap and practicing the basics e.g. juggling the ball, is just as important.
Do not give up. Cliche but true. There are going to be a lot of trial-and-error days, days where you are frustrated for not being able to land a trick, but I guarantee you that there is no better feeling than landing a trick you have been working hard on. So, carry on and trust the process.
3 things everyone should know about your sport...
1. It takes a lot of solo practice, so it is always good to find other freestylers to train with as it can get lonely sometimes.
2. There are no rules you can do what you want; you have full creative freedom.
3. People are always impressed by it.
Spotlight 3 emerging people who are pushing boundaries in their sport...
1. @loganfreestyle
2. @qhouirunnisa
3. @ohleow
What’s next for creativity in sport?
In my eyes, football is art. There are people who focus heavily on stats and end results but do not acknowledge the beauty or creativity in football. I would love for people to appreciate the entertainment side of football and be able to enjoy the sport as it is just as important as winning championships.