John Patrick Acquaviva
Encyclopedia
John Patrick Acquaviva (Born September 9, 1993 Maracaibo
, Venezuela
) is a Venezuela
n football freestyler
.
named him Venezuelan champion in 2009 after judging his performance in an online video competition.
John started showing interest in football (soccer), at the young age of 5 when his father enrolled him in a local team for youngsters, in La Azulita, Estado Mérida in Venezuela.
He played as a mid-fielder and later on as a striker/forward.
When John was 13, he was injured playing a friendly football match in his school and as a result suffered a partial tear in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. It took him 6 months to heal but during this time he discovered a new sport called Freestyle Football,to which he was instantly attracted, although little was known about it in Venezuela in that time. After recuperating from his knee injury, John started practicing 4–5 hours a day, every day. He stopped playing football and concentrated on improving his touch and control of the ball. After 5 months of dedicated practice, he entered a national competition in Caracas, Venezuela, "The Red Bull Street Style Caracas 2008". He won the first 4 rounds, obtaining all possible votes in every round and then went up against the previous year's champion, before losing the final in a split 2-1 decision.
John says that this experience is what motivated him to keep practicing freestyle, even though everyone told him he should be dedicating to football and that freestyle was “a waste of time”. So in 2009 when he found out that Red Bull had organized an online video competition in which the public would vote and choose the best, John entered and 2 weeks after when voting concluded, he was nominated the winner, having achieved the majority of votes.
In August 2011 John participated in the Freestyle Football world championship in Prague, he qualified for the semifinals where he was defeated by Szymo, who would end up being crowned World Champion at said Championship. John is now currently ranked among'st the top 30 freestyle footballers in the world.
John is half British on his mother’s side. He spent some of his childhood in Leyland
, England
and is currently living in England
.
and DirecTV
.
He is the only Venezuelan freestyler to have been sponsored by Adidas.
He was part of the Global Powerade
South Africa 2010 campaign which was filmed and produced by Sapient Corporation in December 2009 in Colombia and released worldwide in March 2010, John participated in the main football add, but only got a short secondary appearance in it, however he was the main character of 2 freestyle football adds from the Powerade “Keep Playing” campaign.
He organized the first ever "World Freestyle Day" in Maracaibo
/Venezuela
, the event was sponsored by Adidas and took place the 4th of September.
He inaugurated the first and only Freestyle Football Academy in Venezuela "Academia Freestyle Futbol JPA".
Maracaibo
Maracaibo is a city and municipality located in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of the Lake Maracaibo. It is the second-largest city in the country after the national capital Caracas and the capital of Zulia state...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
) is a Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n football freestyler
Freestyle Football
Freestyle football, also known as freestyle soccer in North America, is the art of expressing yourself with a football, while performing various tricks with any part of the body...
.
Profile
John Patrick Acquaviva is the current Venezuelan freestyle football champion. Red BullRed Bull
Red Bull is an energy drink sold by the Austrian Red Bull GmbH, created in 1987 by the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz. In terms of market share, Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world, with 3 billion cans sold each year. Dietrich Mateschitz was inspired by an already...
named him Venezuelan champion in 2009 after judging his performance in an online video competition.
John started showing interest in football (soccer), at the young age of 5 when his father enrolled him in a local team for youngsters, in La Azulita, Estado Mérida in Venezuela.
He played as a mid-fielder and later on as a striker/forward.
When John was 13, he was injured playing a friendly football match in his school and as a result suffered a partial tear in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee. It took him 6 months to heal but during this time he discovered a new sport called Freestyle Football,to which he was instantly attracted, although little was known about it in Venezuela in that time. After recuperating from his knee injury, John started practicing 4–5 hours a day, every day. He stopped playing football and concentrated on improving his touch and control of the ball. After 5 months of dedicated practice, he entered a national competition in Caracas, Venezuela, "The Red Bull Street Style Caracas 2008". He won the first 4 rounds, obtaining all possible votes in every round and then went up against the previous year's champion, before losing the final in a split 2-1 decision.
John says that this experience is what motivated him to keep practicing freestyle, even though everyone told him he should be dedicating to football and that freestyle was “a waste of time”. So in 2009 when he found out that Red Bull had organized an online video competition in which the public would vote and choose the best, John entered and 2 weeks after when voting concluded, he was nominated the winner, having achieved the majority of votes.
In August 2011 John participated in the Freestyle Football world championship in Prague, he qualified for the semifinals where he was defeated by Szymo, who would end up being crowned World Champion at said Championship. John is now currently ranked among'st the top 30 freestyle footballers in the world.
John is half British on his mother’s side. He spent some of his childhood in Leyland
Leyland, Lancashire
Leyland is a town in the South Ribble borough of Lancashire, England, approximately six miles south of the city of Preston.Throughout the 20th and 21st century, the community has seen a large growth in industry, population and farming, due to the establishment of Leyland Motors, housing...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and is currently living in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Portfolio
He has worked with company’s such as Coca Cola PoweradePowerade
Powerade is a sports drink manufactured and marketed by The Coca-Cola Company. First introduced in 1988, its primary competitor is PepsiCo's Gatorade...
and DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
.
He is the only Venezuelan freestyler to have been sponsored by Adidas.
He was part of the Global Powerade
Powerade
Powerade is a sports drink manufactured and marketed by The Coca-Cola Company. First introduced in 1988, its primary competitor is PepsiCo's Gatorade...
South Africa 2010 campaign which was filmed and produced by Sapient Corporation in December 2009 in Colombia and released worldwide in March 2010, John participated in the main football add, but only got a short secondary appearance in it, however he was the main character of 2 freestyle football adds from the Powerade “Keep Playing” campaign.
He organized the first ever "World Freestyle Day" in Maracaibo
Maracaibo
Maracaibo is a city and municipality located in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of the Lake Maracaibo. It is the second-largest city in the country after the national capital Caracas and the capital of Zulia state...
/Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, the event was sponsored by Adidas and took place the 4th of September.
He inaugurated the first and only Freestyle Football Academy in Venezuela "Academia Freestyle Futbol JPA".