Our next stop in the Top 10 Tekkers series takes us to the northeast corner of the world, in a country hosting a little event known as the World Cup in a few short months. That’s right, we’re talking Russia, and this week we will be discovering some new and arising Russian ballers. Adidas’ The Base Moscow helped grow the soccer scene all around Russia as well as bordering Russian-speaking countries like Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Let’s take a look and meet some of these new arising talents.
10. Street Vision
One of the newest and freshest ballers on Russia’s list is a young cat that goes by the name of Firdavs. This 17-year-old baller frequents the Russian streets, carving up concrete all across the country. He likes to compete in Panna Pro, the tournament run by the Street Madness team, and even though he has some strong skills, he claims he messes up under pressure. But could he be selling himself short on purpose to get you to underestimate him? It’s a game of the mind as well!
9. 3v3 Skills
We keep it on the streets where Dribblar shows us some slick ground moves. He has made appearances in Street Madness’ Panna Pro tournament, and looks to keep improving his game one day at a time. He focuses mostly on small-sided street and panna play.
8. Dual Action
Here’s a baller that can do you both. Igor Samoded has been in the game practicing freestyle for 12 years, but he is also extremely impressive when it comes to the street game. While he’s competed in several tournaments in the past, he hasn’t done it frequently, as there are few opportunities to compete within Ukraine. Regardless, his ground move flow is crazy dope.
7. Multi-Juggling
Mikhail Plischenko is a freestyler that lives it up day by day, show by show. He trains with some of the most known freestylers in the game, some of which include Ricardinho, Luca, Alekseev and Bulat. Check out his lowers swag to get a better understanding of his freestyle game.
6. Stalls for Days
Any circus act is usually impressive on its own, but when Vladislav Kostuchenko steps up to the stage, he takes things to another level. He performs at the Leningrad Center, which is this new beautiful venue located on the river in Saint Petersburg. Vlad has a strong style when he flows. He likes to throw in the J-Stall in his combos and has great lowers to boot.
5. Got Lowers?
Andrii Akritov is one of the up-and-coming freestylers from Ukraine. His powerful lowers, including his several PATW combos that he lands with ease, are absolutely mind-blowing. What’s even more mind-blowing is that most of these clips are throwbacks, and Akritov has only gotten better since.
4. One is Two Easy
The Skillers Crew is a dynamic duo from the town of Almaty in Kazakhstan. Mustafin Kambar Bolatovich is 24 years old and has been practicing freestyle since back in 2011. He has many achievements which include the AFFC 2014 Malaysia and AFFC 2015 Indonesia championships. He also won the Kazakhstan National Championship in 2012 and 2013. Check out this duo for some powerful combos!
3. Top of Russia
There is no way to complete a list of Russian tekkers without including the freestyle ex-national champ. Bulat Kuzin took home the national medal back in 2016, helping Russian freestylers establish their reputation for hardcore lowers. He has been practicing for eight years now and continues to improve his ability. Believe it or not, Bulat is actually a Russian school teacher!
2. The List Gets Better
Just kidding…there’s no way to complete a list of Russian freestylers without mentioning Pavlinov Anton Yurivich. He has the Sick3 World Champ title in both 2014 and 2016 and is recognized as one of the best freestylers in the world. Pavlinov has been freestyling for eight years now and is only 23. We asked him something interesting about himself, but he claims everyone already knows everything about him!
1. Nine Seconds of Glory
Alexey Gurkin is one of Russia’s favorite Tango League stars. At age 22, he has gained a lot of recognition for his baller skills. While he has proven his ability on the pitch, there have been many other aspects of his game that have proven his hard work. Maybe the coolest moment he has had was the time he got to meet David Beckham. He showed the football icon some of his free kick clips, to which he got the nod of approval.
