A small space. And a football. That is all that Ufuun Moktan Tamang needs to leave football lovers in thrall.

He can juggle a football anywhere—even on a kayak, a branch (of trees), a railing and a treadmill, among others. He also easily tosses a ball on fire. But these skills are not something that Moktan learned with ease.

As a child, Moktan dreamt of becoming a professional footballer and representing Nepal on the international stage. He was a brilliant player. But with limited opportunities and resources alongside a troubled knee, that dream of Moktan slipped away.

Moktan hails from the Sifal area near Kalopul, Kathmandu. He lives with his mother Tara Devi Tamang, elder brother Suraj Tamang and elder sister Sarita Thapa.

“I started playing football at the Sifal ground with my brother,” Moktan told the Post as he drank a hot lemon with honey and ginger with the ground in the background on Friday morning. “He is two years older, and we were always competitive, helping each other improve.”

Moktan is an avid Lionel Messi fan, while his brother Suraj loves Cristiano Ronaldo.

“As Messi and Ronaldo shared a healthy competition, my brother and I were also competitive,” he added. “If it were not for my brother, I am not sure if I could have reached this stage.”

It had only been a day since Moktan had landed in Kathmandu. He was in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, as the first Nepali to participate in the Asia-Pacific Freestyle Football Championship (June 6-7).

Moktan was among the 32 male freestylers participating in the event, which worked as a qualifier for the World Freestyle Football Championship. With the participants divided into eight circles of four each, Moktan was in Circle 7 with three Japanese freestylers—Hiro-K, Sho and Gusshi.

“I could not reach the next stage as other participants were far better,” Moktan said. “But it was a huge opportunity. I got to meet and freestyle with those who were my inspirations.”

Moktan referred to Australia’s Jay Hennicke and Japan’s Moe-K and Mai Yasutake as the inspirations he met in Cambodia. Hennicke became the male champion while Moe-K was the female champion in the tournament.

Ufuun finished fourth in his circle with 21 points. Hiro-K topped with 33 and was followed by Gusshi (28) and Sho (26).

“Mai, on the other hand, had come to participate in crutches. And she finished third,” Moktan said with a grin. “There were too many things to learn from the way experienced freestylers lived, trained and showcased their skills.”

Moktan was great with the ball from an early childhood. “I got a scholarship as a footballer from grade 1,” he shared. “Even now, I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in BBS under a full scholarship.”

A difficult journey

Moktan’s smile fades when he recalls his upbringing.

“We were poor. Our mother did everything she could to support three children,” he said. “She could not afford football shoes for us. She could never order us to stop playing football. She, however, requested us to earn something rather than playing football all day long.”

Moktan knew about the struggles his mother faced to run the house. As a result, he and his brother started searching for jobs. “My brother, who did not get selected as a lahure, does a night shift. Even I worked at night some years ago,” he adds. Moktan also worked at Prime Futsal in Gyaneshwar for a couple of years.

“I also coached football in different schools and earned some money to support my family,” Moktan remembers.

But his love for the game was not always sufficient to keep his pursuit rolling.

“There were days when I stopped playing as well,” he said. “But when the world was suffering the impact of Covid-19, some positives happened in my life.”

He tested positive for the virus. “But I was still healthy,” Moktan says, citing that he felt unhappy for having to stay alone.

Nonetheless, as he shut himself inside a room, Moktan got interested in freestyle. “I did not have a smartphone then. Only a normal phone to receive and make calls,” he said. “My brother gave me his phone when I was in isolation. I was then attracted to this genre.”

When the pandemic restrictions were lifted, Moktan returned to the ground. “There are not many open spaces, of late, to play football outdoors,” he said. “So, I have been spending my days playing futsal.”

Moktan stresses that his life reflects in his name. “Ufuun is a name that was suggested by an uncle in Indonesia,” he said. “It means to have confidence amid struggle.”

Into freestyle

Moktan had a football when he was locked in during the pandemic. “I used to juggle the ball and learn new skills for 10 to 12 hours a day,” he said.

Moktan used to look up freestylers around the world on the Internet. It then motivated him to start his own YouTube channel—Ufuun Moktan—and upload his skills.

“I did not have a mobile phone until late,” Moktan said, as he showed a new smartphone he bought only a few months ago. He continued with a laugh, “I have not paid the amount completely yet.”

“Earlier, I borrowed phones of friends and brothers to capture my skills and upload them.”

However, around four years ago, Moktan hit rock bottom when he injured his right ankle.

“I was grounded for around two years after I injured my right ankle in 2022. I had to undergo surgery,” he said. “I also had an operation in my left ear during that period.”

Meanwhile, despite his right leg being bandaged after surgery, Moktan kept juggling the ball with his left leg. He also has good control of the ball with his hands and fingers. “I just could not stay away from football,” he added.

He clearly remembers the time when his mother was happy after he earned money from uploading videos on YouTube. And when he returned from Sikkim, India, after attending a programme in October last year, the support increased.

“My mother was like: keep going ahead in this field from now on,” a happy Moktan said. “I have been called to Sikkim for another programme during the upcoming festival of Dashain.”

The positives

Moktan finds a drastic change in his life.

“When I compare my present self to that of my childhood and teenage days, there is a huge difference,” he says. “Those who used to make jokes when I used to go to the Bhandarkhal jungle alone with a ball to train, now ask for selfies.”

He is also earning decently through freestyling. He is sponsored by Red Bull, an energy drink brand. It was Red Bull that sponsored Moktan to the Asia-Pacific Championship, too.

Moktan has also started featuring in advertisements. He can also be seen showing skills with the ball along the streets of Kathmandu in Red Bull’s FIFA World Cup advertisement.

“I landed in Kathmandu at midnight on Wednesday. I went for a shoot Thursday morning,” he said. “I was also called by DAV Sushil Kedia Vishwa Bharati School on Thursday.”

He has been visiting schools to show his skills for years. “I did it for free before,” he said. “Now, it is different. There is respect as well as a decent income.”

He gets happier around children, who get awestruck by his skills. “Some even say that the skills feel like magic,” he added.

Moktan now wants to build a community of freestylers in the country. “Many individuals who like to freestyle reach out to me and ask about the prospects,” he shared. “My suggestion to them is to seek a life in freestyle only if they have a passion for it.”

There is one other thing that makes Moktan prouder. “I have never received any support from the state authorities—be it local, provincial or federal,” he said. “But it is not going to hold me back.”

The World Cup fever

According to Moktan, he has a busy schedule ahead.

“As the FIFA World Cup is underway, institutions and organisations are organising football-related events and have invited me to perform,” he said.

A Messi fan, Moktan says that he would love to see Argentina lift consecutive World Cups. “I remember removing my jersey and celebrating loudly when Argentina won the previous World Cup,” he continued. “It will be great if Argentina win it again. But with Messi having won it the last time, there is no pressure.”

Moktan, who is still active in futsal, also informed that he had bigger plans ahead.

“It is being planned to participate in a 3v3 international tournament with the support of Red Bull,” he said as he prepared to leave for a performance in another school on Friday afternoon. “I am also thinking of attempting to break the current Guinness World Records in juggling.”

Moktan may never wear the Nepali national team jersey he once dreamed about as a child. But with a football constantly at his feet, he has found another way to represent the country. As he sets his sights on bigger achievements, his journey suggests that football dreams do not always have to follow traditional paths.