Frankie Gonzalez is a different kind of footballer, dazzling crowds all over the world with his freestyle football.

Yesterday, Gonzalez gave some CedarBridge Academy students a taste of what is to come this evening when he entertains the crowd at half-time during the Bermuda International Football Festival’s all-star match at the National Sports Centre (7pm).

“This is something I’ve been working very hard on for 13 years,” the 28-year-old told the students who gathered to watch him display his skills. Freestyle football is becoming popular all over the world and Gonzalez has travelled to various countries doing what he loves, including the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“It’s my first time here in Bermuda and I’m excited to come all the way from New York City,” Gonzalez told the students as he encouraged them to pursue their dreams.

“I had my struggles in New York in school but this kept me sane. I wish all of you the best of luck, stay focused and in the end it is all worth it.”

Afterwards Gonzalez talked about his passion for the world game as a supporter of Spanish giants Real Madrid.

“My family is from Mexico but I was born and raised in New York City,” he said. “I was lucky enough to have my dad, who was a great footballer in Mexico, show me the way and we actually started a team.

“I grew up playing, was always around football and always watched it on TV. From there my passion developed for music, dance and football in one. That’s what freestyle is, a mixture of all of those things, and I’m allowed to express myself with the ball.’

Gonzalez played football himself as a midfielder and briefly played professionally in Mexico. “I played in Mexico for a club call Santos, I was there for a year and a half and had a great time there,” he explained.

“I had to come back [to US] because of visa issues but now I’ve turned to freestyle and it has blown up. I’ve been able to travel and continue my journey with the ball. It’s not playing professionally but it is freestyling professionally and I get to hang out with the kids and give back to the community. I show them that they can do this as well.

“I’ve been to Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, Colombia, all over Europe and was in China last year. That was a great experience, just from kicking a ball around. Football is the world sport and here in Bermuda it’s the number one sport and it’s really cool to see that the kids here love it so much.”

Gonzalez added: “The beauty of freestyle is you don’t have to love football but you can fall in love with some tricks. It’s not as easy as people think, but the hardest thing is just starting. People are afraid to start because they don’t want to mess up but I encourage them to pick up a ball, whether a basketball or football. You just have to familiarise yourself with the ball, the tricks will come later.”

Gonzalez accepts the suggestion that he is football’s version of the Harlem Globetrotters.

“Absolutely, I worked with them before in New York and it is pretty much the same thing, we like to educate, teach and showcase, showing people that anything is possible,” he said.

“I grew up with a ball at my feet all the time, that’s how it came easy for me. You can see I’m having fun but I’m very focused, on the ball, the moves and the music.

“Tomorrow I’ll have a routine performance with a bit of choreography. This is just a little taste. There will be a lot of people there with good energy and I’m looking forward to meeting the young kids.

“It’s perfect, I’m doing what I love, kicking a ball around and getting to see all these beautiful places. In August I’ll be in the Czech Republic and Paris, but there are always shows being booked. The people love us because they can relate to us.”