A 14-year-old Welsh teen taught himself football freestyle on YouTube; he now holds five Guinness World Records and has finished third in the world
A self-taught teenage football freestyler from South Wales who learned ball control by watching online tutorials has won a bronze medal at the World Freestyle Football Association (WFFA) World Championship. James Taylor, a 14-year-old schoolboy from Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, finished third in his age category at the global event, adding another major achievement to his growing career. According to reports by the BBC and Yahoo News, Taylor faced some of the best young freestyle footballers from around the world after reaching the final rounds through a series of technical knockout battles. Along with his world championship medal, Taylor has also set five Guinness World Records for technical football tricks, all before finishing his secondary education at Stanwell School.
Self-taught skills and rapid record success
Taylor started practising freestyle football in his back garden while still at primary school. He used online platforms such as YouTube to study difficult tricks, acrobatic moves and ball-juggling routines, often watching the videos frame by frame. “I started by watching videos online and just practicing in my garden every single day,” Taylor said in an interview featured in the BBC documentary My Life: Fearless Freestyle. “I saw people doing tricks and thought I really want to learn how to do that.” His hard work soon led to world record attempts. According to the Penarth Times, Taylor set his first Guinness World Record when he was 11 during a half-time performance at Cardiff City Stadium. He later broke four more records, with his fifth coming in the under-16 category for completing the most “around the world” tricks in one minute. Guinness World Records adjudicator Glenn Pollard officially verified the fifth record at Cardiff City Stadium. “I’m really happy to have broken my fifth world record and it was great to return to Cardiff City Stadium to do this,” Taylor told the Penarth Times. “The ‘around the world’ move is one of my favourite moves so it was great to get a world record for this football trick.”
A family tradition on the global stage
Taylor’s success has also turned freestyle football into a family activity. His 11-year-old younger brother, Ben Taylor, has taken up the sport and has already secured three Guinness World Records in youth freestyle categories. Together, the brothers hold eight verified Guinness World Records. After setting his fifth world record, Taylor went on to win podium places at youth competitions across Europe, including open events in Italy and the Netherlands. His performances eventually helped him earn a place at the WFFA World Championship. Despite his quick rise and international competitions, Taylor continues to balance regular training with his school studies in Wales. His journey was featured in the BBC documentary My Life: Fearless Freestyle, made for CBBC and BBC iPlayer. The programme followed his training around local locations including Penarth Pier and Cosmeston Lakes. Taylor continues to prepare for upcoming European and international competitions while working towards more official world records in freestyle football.
