Tristan Gac on juggling influence and freestyle in bid to reclaim world title | OneFootball

Tristan Gac, 24, returns to the Netherlands this week aiming to reclaim his freestyle football crown, while accelerating a push on social media to make his craft sustainable.

According to L'Équipe, he has nearly 300,000 followers. The World Championships run from 17-23 August and will stream live on the World Freestyle Football Association YouTube channel.

Based in Coye-la-Forêt, he trains at a cultural centre where he has keys and free summer access, the lino floor ideal, and also uses local judo and gymnastics halls.

He works with a breakdance teacher, a gym coach, a mental coach and a nutritionist, and during preparation trains about five hours a day. His technique centres on spin and 360 moves.

Gac won the 2024 world title, then lost the final the next season, and is now ranked second. He has rebuilt his final programme, adding a risky second round that could score heavily.

He says the routine needs intense concentration, clarity and feel, and that competition noise and music make execution tougher than training. For now, he prefers to wait and see.

A win this week might bring about €10,000, with the official prize still undisclosed and dependent on sponsors, said his manager Alexis de Villèle. They began content creation early this year and deals rose a hundredfold.

In freestyle, most income comes from sponsors and major brand tie-ups. Gac has worked with Olympique de Marseille, Red Bull and Balenciaga, while Séan Garnier thrives with 25 million followers.

Source: L'Équipe

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