The UK´s two most talented five-a-side teams will get the chance to show off their skills to the rest of the world in Brazil next month – with PSG superstar Neymar assessing them from the sidelines.
Men´s side Kings 5s and women´s outfit Cov Uni both emerged triumphant in the UK finals of Red Bull Neymar Jr´s Five, a global competition dreamt up by the former Barcelona man himself.
More than 40 countries across six continents held qualifiers in this year´s tournament as they gear up for the fourth World Finals in Neymar´s childhood hometown of Praia Grande.
The UK will be well represented in Brazil after Kings 5s proved their powers of recovery by winning 5-0 in the final at Bramley Moore Dock in Liverpool on Saturday, 12 months after they suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the same stage.
The team, who began the competition at the regional finals in Norwich and overcame 11 other sides on Merseyside, will now get the chance to play in front of Neymar – and they could even face his very own dream team if they are crowned world champions.
Kings 5s captain, Reion McFarlane, said: ´To lose in the National Final last year was absolutely heart-breaking so that makes this extra special.
´We came here not only to make amends, but to prove that we are the best team in the UK and we did exactly that.
´We’re obviously buzzing to head over to Brazil now and hopefully we’ll get the chance to not only meet Neymar but win the competition as well!´
Kings 5s will be joined by Cov Uni in Brazil after they overcame injuries and absence to power their way to a 4-1 victory in the UK final, securing themselves a spot in the second women´s World Finals.
Cov Uni captain, Daniella Granato, said: ´It’s hard to put it into words really – we are all still in shock.
´We came in here as the underdogs and I’m just so proud of the girls considering the dropouts we had. We’ve got a really strong side and I don’t see why we can’t win in Brazil.
´The girls were all saying what an amazing experience it will be to meet Neymar as well, so we just can’t wait now.´
Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five is a unique take on small-sided football, with teams given 10 minutes to eliminate their opponents by scoring, with each goal resulting in the opposition losing a player.
After 10 minutes, the team with the most amount of players left on the pitch wins. However, if the teams are tied after 10 minutes, the game is settled by a one-on-one golden goal knockout.
Kings 5s and Cov Uni will now head to the World Finals in Sao Paulo, which will be played at Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr over July 12 and 13.
To find out if the UK teams can be crowned world champions, you can use #redbullneymarjrsfive to follow all the action in Brazil.