Nathan Davies in action ahead of his challenge. Pictures by Alexandra Evangelista / The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Nathan Davies, also known as “The Soccer Showman,” will attempt a new world record today, December 1, by performing a continuous “keepy-uppy” across Qatar, from Dukhan Beach to Doha Corniche, over a four-day journey spanning more than 100 kilometres.
In football lingo, a keepy-uppy is the skill of juggling the ball with various parts of the body without letting it hit the ground.
His plan is to begin the challenge each morning at 6am, cover about 30 kilometres on the first three days, and complete the remaining 10 kilometres on Thursday toward the Corniche, wrapping up daily at around 3pm.
The 50-year-old British freestyle footballer based in New Jersey arrived in Doha feeling excited, having trained for months, to cope with the challenges he expects to encounter.
Davies already holds four titles: most consecutive shoulder touches (5,897), heel touches (283), football rolls across the forehead (2,048), and knee touches (6,539).
Despite four titles under his belt, Davies is well acquainted with the obstacles at hand including the shifting weather in Qatar, the desert terrains, and the long mileage that awaits him, ready to challenge his focus on the ball.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Davies said the idea began earlier this year with a desire to juggle a football across a country.
“Qatar ticked all the boxes,” he said. “I think the climate at this time of the year, the fact that it’s flat and there are no big hills. It’s also a part of the world where I’ve always wanted to discover and explore. And obviously, the football background, having Qatar hosted the World Cup just a few years ago, I thought it’d be a great idea to juggle a ball across this country,” he added.
Davies shared that months of preparation have gone into this attempt. Since September, Davies has increased his walking mileage, added strength and stretching routines, and balanced training around his day job of running a football school in New Jersey, while prioritizing recovery.
He also stressed that the mental aspect is just as crucial as the physical.
“I try to just keep focus on making contact in the middle of the ball and try not to think of anything else apart from doing that for the first two miles,” he explained.
“Once I get past one or two miles, I get into a flow, but then you try not to think too much or let thoughts enter your mind, especially the negative ones. I just try to stay in that flow of focus in the middle of the ball and just keep going.”
Residents in Qatar are welcome to show their support for Davies, as he stated, “You can follow the challenge on Instagram @soccershowman and probably towards the end of the challenge, when we get closer to Corniche on Thursday, people can come along and cheer me on or even walk with me at some point.”
Davies further shared that the roots behind his passion for football and long-distance foot race were from his childhood, having grown up with a family of runners. “My dad was a marathon runner and the whole family was into running,” he said. Football came to Davies at the age of 11, and rapidly took over his life. Freestyling also entered his world at the age of 13 when he witnessed a freestyle performance by a world champion.
“I just thought that it looks really cool and I’ve got to try it,” he recalled.
His fascination for ultramarathoners and his spellbinding love for football meshed into an act which greatly shaped his legacy as a person, a professional, and as an athlete, that allowed him to bag world records and earn him the name “The Soccer Showman”.
