Football mad and footless, Gabriel Muniz has been invited to Barcelona’s academy after impressing at a summer camp in Rio.
Although remarkably one of his school’s top players, Gabriel Muniz is unlikely to make it into a conventional team because he was born without feet.
However, as his footballing success stands testament, his mother Sandra Muniz says her son has always lived a normal life despite his physical limitations. After his appearance in Brazil’s most popular sports show on TV Globo network, Muniz was invited to take part in Barcelona’s summer training camp just outside the capital in Saquarema. His story and impressive skills inspired the Spanish club’s managers and he received an invitation to travel to Barcelona’s academy in September. “When he arrived there [the Barcelona academy in Saquarema], no one believed in him. But he proved to everyone there, he can go head to head with any other boy,” said his teacher. The trip to Spain is already a dream come true for the 11-year-old, whose fantasy team consists almost entirely of Barcelona players, as well as himself of course. “Me, Messi, Dani Alves, Villa, Iniesta, Xavi, Victor Valdez, Adriano, Puyol, Pique, Mascherano and Sanchez,” the boy said.
