Free Style Football : Nikhil hopes for Guinness Record

New Delhi: On the verge of making it to the prestigious Guinness World Records, professional freestyle footballer Nikhil Krishna wants to improve the profile of the relatively unknown sport in India.

The 22-year-old from Delhi does not just want to bring accolades to the country, but also contribute towards improving the life of fellow freestyle footballers in the country.

Apart from sole juggles, Nikhil also does sole juggle spin, head stall, neck stall, side head stall, Around the moon (ATM) and Lemmens around the world (LATW).

"I have already registered my name for the same, but the entire process of reviewing the records and result declaration would take three months," Nikhil, who is hopeful that this achievement would be a step ahead in popularising the sport, said.

"The reason why people don't really value this sport as much as cricket, football or tennis is that they are not aware of it.

I want to do something for the upcoming generation so that they don't struggle as much as I did. I want to grow the community of freestyle footballers," he added.

Like every successful person, Nikhil who likes to go by the monicker 'Nikk Freestyler', had his own difficulties and struggles.

"A lot of people criticised me for my choices. They would question how I would make a living. You can't make living out of it, go find some job - they would say.

My relatives still do the same whenever they visit me. But I prefer being silent. I am sure that my actions will speak louder than words," said Nikhil.

Despite achieving massive success, Nikhil feels disheartened about how people do not recognize freestyle football as a life-changing art form.

"Though we have progressed a lot in terms of sports, there is still a mindset that doesn't take freestyle players seriously," he said.

"On top of it, factors like lack of awareness about the art and insufficient funding make it even more difficult. There is no steady income and consistency in our work," he added.