Filipino-Norwegian freestyle footballer Philip Warren Gertsson is showing off his incredible ball-handling skills to the world.
If you were one of the thousands of fans who made the journey to Rizal Memorial Stadium to watch the Philippine Men’s National Football Team’s (PMNFT) World Cup Qualifiers match against Iraq last March, you might have noticed a special performance during halftime by a freestyle footballer.
Well, in case you missed out, we had the privilege of meeting Philip Warren Gertsson, a Filipino-Norwegian freestyle footballer while he was on a trip to the Philippines last March. He was invited to perform his skills in front of Filipino football fans as a very special halftime show, and if you were lucky enough to witness his incredible performances in person, you know that he has incredible control over the ball that even pros might envy.
When Philip gets his feet on the ball, it almost looks like he can bend it to his will — you just have to see it for yourself:
Ask any professional and they’ll tell you that it isn’t easy to do what he does. And he doesn’t just do it to entertain — he is known all around the world by many football enthusiasts (and even professionals) as a winning freestyle footballer.
Here are three facts to know about Philip Warren Gertsson.
He has been freestyling since 2006
Philip Warren Gertsson, also known as PWG, was a football player his whole life, but he discovered the art of freestyle football in 2006.
For those who might be new to the concept of freestyle football, this is the art of juggling a football, performing tricks, and even dancing with a ball using any part of the body. They make it look easy, but it is far from it.
Ever since PWG discovered it in 2006, he hasn’t stopped learning and performing tricks. So, over the course of 18 years, he’s gotten really good at it — I mean, really good. Because of his skills, he has an audience of 354,000 followers on his Instagram and TikTok accounts alone.
He is a freestyle football champion
Philip has been doing this gig for a long time now, and over the last 18 years, he has performed and competed in over 20 different countries all over the world including the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, and around Europe — and he wins.
PWG was crowned the champion of the European Freestyle Football Championship of 2009. On top of this, he is also a two-time Asian Freestyle Football Champion, as he won the competition in 2014 and 2016 (and a little fun fact: the 2016 edition was held in Davao City).
He has played with many football icons
As a champion freestyle footballer and a well-known content creator, Philip Warren Gertsson doesn’t just post videos of himself. Apart from this, he also enjoys challenging other professional football players to perform tricks like his — and we’re talking big name professionals.
If you scroll through PWG’s videos on his platforms, you’ll find videos of him playing with Manchester City’s Jack Grealish, Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez, Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies, and the Philippines’ very own Neil Etheridge.
Some of them try out the tricks themselves, others are simply happy to watch.
As someone who grew up as a football player, it’s impressive to see how PWG cracked his way into the sport on a global level in a unique way. After all, there’s no doubting that his skills speak for themselves.
Banner images taken by Kieran Punay.
Related Stories:
Inside The PFF Fan Zone At The Azkals’ World Cup Qualifier Matches
5 Things You May Not Know About Neil Etheridge
Stephan Schröck: A Dream for Philippine Football