Penang midfielder Mohd Faiz Subri’s physics-defying knuckleball goal had experts scratching their heads, but his father has just revealed the secret to bending it like Mohd Faiz.
It involves watching a lot of YouTube videos.
Subri Kadir, 64, told Bernama that Mohd Faiz often watched videos of freekicks taken by football superstars such as Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Christiano Ronaldo.
The 29-year-old’s intensive ‘research’ session was how he learned to hone his skills in taking set pieces, according to Subri.
“From young he had shown a keen interest for football and would be glued for hours on end watching his favourite players in action on Youtube.
“Because of his endless practice, he scored the wonder goal that has brought Malaysia pride,” he was quoted by the news agency as saying.
Last Friday, Mohd Faiz’s wondergoal, which according to experts “defied the laws of physics”, has been shortlisted as one of the three finalists in the running for FIFA’s prestigious 2016 Puskas Award.
The knuckleball, scored against Pahang in a Malaysian Super League match on February 16, will be going up against goals scored by Brazil’s Marlone and Venezuela’s Daniuska Rodriguez.
The winner will be announced and presented with their award on January 9 at a glitzy ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland.
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