Budiey
Castrol, one of the world’s leading lubricant brands and Official Sponsor of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, has brought together pioneers from the worlds of football and motorsport to create Castrol Footkhana; an innovative experiment that sees Brazilian star Neymar Jr take on new Castrol Ambassador and global rally icon Ken Block.
In the challenge, an unexpected series of events unfold, as Ken and Neymar Jr team up with freestylers Andrew Henderson, Séan Garnier and Lassi Hurskainen to push the boundaries of performance and attempt ground-breaking new skills.
In Castrol Footkhana, Castrol continues its proud history of fuelling pioneers by bringing together the most innovative performers in their respective fields. You have Castrol Ambassador Neymar Jr leading a team of world champion freestyle footballers against Ken Block and his rally car, powered by Castrol’s strongest oil, Castrol EDGE boosted with TITANIUM FST™.
The film, set on a specially designed Castrol Footkhana course, features the stars outperforming each other in a game of one-upmanship, showing off the skills and tricks that make them the modern pioneers of their sports.
Neymar Jr’s strength under pressure is put to the test as Ken expertly controls his car on the smoke-filled course, racing by in a series of breath-taking manoeuvres. Neymar Jr showcases his electric pace, skill and renowned finishing ability, which Brazilians hope will play a pivotal part in their country’s quest to lift the World Cup trophy in July.
NEYMAR JR. AND KEN BLOCK GO HEAD-TO-HEAD IN CASTROL FOOTKHANA FILM. PIONEERING CASTROL FILM FEATURES FOOTBALL AND GYMKHANA STARS IN ULTIMATE SKILLS SHOWDOWN AIRED EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE
Neymar Jr’s performance is matched by Ken Block, who demonstrates supreme precision and control to score spectacular goals and make unbelievable saves. Not to be outdone, Neymar Jr’s freestyler teammates respond with a series of creative, highly technical tricks under the guidance of fellow Castrol Ambassador and two-time FIFA World Cup™ winner, Cafu, making this an exhilarating and closely-fought contest.
Fans of Neymar Jr and Ken Block can watch the film now at castrol.com/Footkhana.
Neymar Jr, commenting on the project, said: “It has been amazing to work with Ken Block and the other freestylers, bringing our skills together in this Castrol experiment. I can’t wait for football fans to see our freestyle tricks in action as we go head-to-head against Ken and his car.”
Ken Block, who will also be featuring in a number of upcoming Castrol campaigns over the next 12 months, said: “I’m stoked to partner up with Castrol again this season. I know my fans are going to enjoy this Footkhana film since it’s a spin on my Gymkhana series, integrating some of the best freestyle football players in the world.”
A. S. Ramchander, VP Global Marketing at Castrol, said: “Both Neymar Jr and Ken Block have demonstrated amazing levels of skill in their respective sports and we see a great synergy between their pioneering spirits and what our brand stands for. Our sponsorship of the 2014 FIFA World Cup has given us the perfect opportunity to pair up Ken with Neymar Jr to bring to life Castrol’s passion for superior performance, innovation and football.”
CASTROL
Castrol, one of the world’s leading lubricant brands, has a proud heritage of innovation and fuelling the dreams of pioneers. Their passion for performance, combined with a philosophy of working in partnership with manufacturers, has enabled Castrol to develop oils that have been at the heart of numerous technological feats on land, air, sea and space for over 100 years. Today, the company’s vast portfolio of high performance lubricants, including Castrol EDGE, Castrol MAGNATEC and Castrol Power1, are available in almost 140 counties worldwide.
As Official Sponsor of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, Castrol have brought their pioneering approach to football to life through Castrol Footkhana starring Neymar Jr and Ken Block as they have never been seen before.
NEYMAR JR
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, commonly known as Neymar Jr, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Spanish club FC Barcelona in La Liga and the Brazilian national team. Neymar Jr began his footballing career at Santos in 2003 when he was only 11 years old, and he quickly began to stand out in the club’s lower teams before making his debut with the first team in 2009. At the age of 21, Neymar Jr signed for FC Barcelona, the club’s first signing of the 2013/14 season.
In 2010, still only 18, Neymar Jr made his debut for the Brazilian international team in a friendly against USA; scoring from a header to contribute to the Seleção’s 2–0 win. He was named in the Brazilian squad for the 2012 Olympic Games in London and helped take the team to the final. In the summer of 2013, just before signing for FC Barcelona, Neymar Jr won the Confederations Cup with Brazil, scoring in the final against Spain and being named Player of the Tournament.
KEN BLOCK
In 2005, DC Shoes co-founder Ken Block decided to pursue a childhood dream: becoming a professional rally driver. Upon completing his first year of racing, Ken was awarded the title of “Rookie of the Year” by Rally America and within a few years, he’d helped put rally racing on the map in the USA. In addition to his success on rally stage roads, Block also created the YouTube viral video series known as Gymkhana. With 6 entries in the series and over 250 million views, Block is now equally well known for his viral videos as he is for his racing.
CAFU
Marcos Evangelista de Moraes, better known as Cafu is a former Brazilian footballer. Regarded to be one of the greatest fullbacks ever to grace the Serie A, he has also made history playing for São Paulo, Roma and Milan. Cafu is the most internationally capped male Brazilian player, holding the record for winning the most number of matches in World Cups with 16. Cafu is the only player to have appeared in three World Cup finals, having won two in 1994 and 2002.
ANDREW HENDERSON
Andrew is the reigning World Freestyle Football Champion following his victory at Superball 2013 and the UK`s number one for four years running. He grew up with an incredible passion for sport which has evolved and developed into his involvement in one of the most exciting and energetic sub-cultures of football which attracts millions of viewers all over the world.
SÉAN GARNIER
Born in France, Arnaud ‘Séan’ Garnier is a freestyle football star who boasts a host of French and International Championship podium finishes. After abandoning his dream of being a professional footballer due to a string of injuries, Séan discovered a new passion that combined break dancing and football; the urban sport of freestyle football. In two years Séan went from demonstrating on the streets of Paris to the world stage, being crowned 2008 World Red Bull Street Style Champion in Sao Paulo.
LASSI HURSKAINEN
Lassi Elias Hurskainen is a Finnish goalkeeper and trick shot artist who has enjoyed a tremendous career for UNC-Asheville and HIFK. In 2011, Hurskainen created a trick shot video on YouTube, which was viewed over 3 million times within just a few weeks. Subsequent videos have featured on ESPN, Good Morning America, and various other global and local news channels, gaining him world-wide recognition for his accuracy and absurd skills with a football.
