At 14, James Taylor has already made a name for himself on the international football freestyle circuit. BBC Wales reported on his latest podium finish, while Italian youth publication Focus Junior has also highlighted his five Guinness World Records and success at the championships.
His latest Guinness World Record came in April 2026, when he set the under-16 record for the most “around-the-world” ball-control tricks in one minute. The teenager from Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, recently finished third at the NextGen World Football Freestyle Championships in the Netherlands, adding another achievement to a remarkable record-breaking run. Taylor is self-taught, developing his skills through daily practice and by studying football freestyle tutorials on YouTube.
Guinness World Records records Taylor completing 77 football shoulder rolls in one minute in Cardiff in November 2023. He later set a record for 6,023 consecutive alternating football rebounder volleys in July 2024. Taylor’s most recent Guinness World Record was set on April 11, 2026, at Cardiff City Football Club. Guinness World Records lists the achievement as the current record for the most such tricks in one minute by an under-16. Taylor’s record collection also includes another shoulder-roll achievement: Guinness records him completing 41 football shoulder rolls in 30 seconds in Penarth in December 2025. At 14, he now has five world records and a world-championship podium finish to his name.
In April 2024, he also completed 95 football “hotstepper” ball-control tricks in one minute in Penarth. In front of a crowd of 21,640 during half-time at Cardiff City’s match against Bolton Wanderers, he completed 76 “around the world” ball-control tricks in one minute in the under-16 category. Unlike traditional football, freestyle football focuses on individual ball control, tricks and creative combinations rather than scoring goals against an opponent. For Taylor, much of that learning happened independently. His record-breaking journey began while he was still a young aspiring freestyler. The move requires a player to repeatedly circle a foot around the football before regaining control of it, making speed, balance and concentration crucial. And with freestyle football continuing to give young players a competitive stage of their own, Taylor’s next challenge may simply be finding another record that he can break.