17-Year Old Teen to Play Alongside Neymar in Qatar After Winning Online Talent Hunt

17-Year Old Teen to Play Alongside Neymar in Qatar After Winning Online Talent Hunt

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:45 PM
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  • The Red Bull Neymar Jr Five is considered to be one of the biggest amateur football tournaments in the world
  • An Indian Manchester United fan recently qualified for the rare chance to meet Neymar in this year’s edition
  • The boy from Kerala attempted the freestyle competition last year but was not successful the first time
  • This year, however, he was among the few selected by Neymar to feature in the tournament in Qatar

A teenage sensation from Kerala India, will get the rare priviledge of playing alongside Neymar after he won an online talent hunt.

Shahzad Mohammed Rafi
Shahzad Mohammed Rafi, a boy from Pazhayangadi, Kannur, made his state proud by achieving the feat. Photo: Rafi/ Instagram.
Source: UGC

In the show dubbed the 2021 RedBull Neymar Jr’s Five, Shahzad Mohammed Rafi was handpicked from a group of hundreds of participants as the winner.

Following his feat, the 17-year old freestyle footballer, who doubles up as a content creator, will now play alongside Neymar in a five-aside tournament set to be held in Qatar.

Shahzad took to social media to celebrate his achievement as he shared a photo of himself and Neymar along with the caption:

“Cannot put into words how I feel about meeting Neymar.”

Neymar was among a group of seven panellists who observed 60-second clips of freestylers from all over the world showcasing their football skills.

Contestants were supposed to upload a video of themselves showcasing their skills along with the hashtag ‘OutPlaythemAll’.

Shahzad is one of the two from India who qualified for the upcoming championships.

It is also kind to note that the Red Bull Neymar Jr Five is considered one of the largest amateur football tournaments in the world.

This was Shahzad’s second shot at the events after failing to make the cut in last year’s edition. Candidates typically had to be evaluated through various levels of screenings based on their performances.

Other names which also made the finals and are set to meet the PSG superstar include Abhinash Shanmugam from Bengaluru, Jaimy Schallenbergh (Belgium), Simon Gustavo (Brazil), Leon Gillies Mannes (Norway), Giorgio Montalti (Italy), and Stanley Godian (Nigeria)

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Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.
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