Cuban Erick Hernández breaks his own ball control record

September 1, 2024

Cuban former footballer Erick Hernández broke his own record this Saturday for controlling the ball using only his feet while sitting on the ground with 1.5 kilograms of weight tied to each ankle, remaining in control for three hours, seven minutes and 28 seconds, and will attempt to have it ratified in the Guinness records.

Hernández, known as 'El Dominador', began the test at the Copacabana hotel in the capital at 09:00 a.m. local time (13:00 p.m. GMT) and concluded at 12:07 (14:07 GMT).

The world record holder and Guinness record holder for ball control broke his own mark in this style when on July 15 of last year he controlled the ball for three hours, four minutes and two seconds, a mark that was ratified in the Guinness records.

"I'm doing the work well and it's a challenge at my age that pushes me to nearly achieve perfection. It's very significant for me," said the 58-year-old from Havana to the press.

The last time Hernández displayed his skills was April 6 when he set the universal record of 12 hours, six minutes and ten seconds controlling the ball using only his feet from a standing position.

The Cuban first entered the Guinness book of records in 2005 for touching the ball with his head 319 times in one minute. Since then, he has set several records such as the world record for the most touches on a ball suspended in the air during one hour with a total of 12,237.

He also holds the record for touching the ball with his head 348 times in one minute, surpassing the previous mark by Chinese player Gao Chong by seven times.

His list of achievements includes the world record for ball control by keeping it in control for 3 hours and 4 minutes while sitting on the ground with 1.5 kilograms of weight tied to each ankle.

For touching the ball 319 times in one minute with his head, and in 2009, when he controlled the ball with his thighs for 1 hour and 28 minutes.

In 2020 he appeared again in the Guinness Book, when he headed the ball on 188 occasions in just 30 seconds, breaking by one the previous record, which he himself had ratified in 2011.

Hernández began practicing ball control in 1994, a tradition that his brother Douglas first practiced, who was the pioneer of this specialty in Cuba.

Since then he has proven his ability to touch the ball with almost all parts of his body, achieving control records with his thighs, knees, feet, head, sitting down, standing up or running 100 meters and the marathon.