8 professional footballers with unique traits

#2 The footballer with one arm

Football requires balance, that’s a no-brainer. Dribbling at ful pelt, changing directions and avoiding challenges all requires strength, balance and compusure. Your legs allow you to run and turn, your upper body keeps you balanced and from falling over. Again, these are things that every footballer takes for granted.

Which is why Håkan Söderstjerna, a retired Swedish footballer, is a special footballer. For he played the game, at a professional level mind, with one arm.

Born without a lower right arm, Söderstjerna refused to allow his birth condition to affect his dream of becoming a footballer at the highest level, and went on to play for clubs in Sweden, Denmark, Singapore and Norway.

A truly special player, an outlier in a world of clones.

Here’s a video of Söderstjerna dribbling, turning and scoring – all done with minimum fuss.