Freestyle over Paris. Iya Traoré

Iya Traoré is a soccer freestyler. If Iya is not taking part in the recording of the next show, you can find him on the Montmartre hill near the Basilica Sacré-Coeur church in Paris. Freestyle soccer performed by Iya can rightly be called a new art form.

Soccer is my passion.

Iya started playing soccer back in his native country of Guinea. There he played for one of the local clubs, where he won many awards and titles. In 2000 Iya moved to France, where he played for several clubs, including the famous “Paris Saint-Germain”. While playing for the youth team, he was noticed by the famous Brazilian soccer player Ronaldinho, who was playing for PSG at the time. “He told me that I am great, and if I make an effort and work hard, I will have a chance to play for the main team,” – said in one of his interviews Iya himself.

However, the professional career of the footballer did not go well, and he decided to retrain as a soccer freestyler. As it turned out not in vain. Participation in the show “France is looking for talent” and performances on the streets of Paris brought him popularity around the world.

He is often invited to various shows. Iya performs all over the world: he has already traveled to more than 40 countries, including China, Egypt, Italy, Spain.

“I realized that people look up to me and they like my performances. So I thought it was quite possible to turn a hobby into a real profession.”

However, there is one circumstance that could prevent Iya from showing his tricks to hundreds of people in the square. “If there is too much wind, I won’t be able to perform my tricks.” Despite years of experience, even Iya can’t match the weather.

Traore also takes part in music video shoots. He starred in popular singer Shakira’s music video for the song “La La La,” which was released before the 2014 World Cup.

Becoming a professional soccer player is still my dream.

Despite her popularity, Iya admits that she still dreams of becoming a professional player. This remains the freestyler’s main dream to this day. Traore emphasizes that he is a soccer player first, and then he is already an entertainer and showman.

“Most people know me as a showman and entertainer, but I would like to prove to everyone that I am also a great soccer player.

Many people call me the king of Montmartre.

For many years now, Iya has been performing in front of hundreds of spectators at the top of Montmartre hill, next to the Basilique Sacré-Coeur church. This is why his fans and the media have nicknamed him the “King of Montmartre”. The famous freestyler is certainly happy about this nickname.