‘David Blaine of football’ claims world record

A BRITISH man yesterday claimed a new world record for keeping a football in the air, after sailing past the previous record of 19 hours and 30 minutes in London.

Dan Magness, 25, played keepy-uppy using his feet, legs, shoulders and head in Covent Garden, passing the old record at 8.30am.

Just seconds away from reaching the 24-hour mark, Magness relaxed as the crowd cheered him on, and almost lost control of the ball – but he managed to regain his composure in time.

“It feels good,” he said, before revealing he had been worried after 10 hours that he would be unable to continue as tiredness took hold.

Manager Gareth Brocklebank denied that Magness had taken a break when no one was watching in the early hours of the morning, saying: “He has followed the Guinness (World Records) guidelines to a tee.”

Magness, from Milton Keynes in southern England, describes himself as an exponent of “freestyle football” and says he is the “David Blaine of football”.

The previous world record, held by the Brazilian Martinho Eduardo Orige, was smashed by over four hours, according to Guinness World Records.

The self-styled “ginger freestyler”, said he had spent months on strength and stamina training. “A millisecond lapse in concentration – all the training [would] count for nothing.”

Magness’s record breaking effort took place inside a Perspex box in Covent Garden, reminiscent of the one suspended above the Thames by David Blaine.

The attempt was staged in association with the PlayStation Freestylers initiative, an online competition to find the best freestylers in Britain.

The national winners will compete in a live European Final in Italy and the overall winner will become the official ball carrier at this year’s UEFA Champions League Final.