Javier Pastore Controlling the Ball in Pre-Game Warm Ups

Pastore heel control: Argentine midfielder Javier Pastore, who just signed with Paris Saint-Germain from Italian club Palermo, shows off his ability to control the soccer ball with this trick in pre-game warm ups.

Pastore controls a long ball out of the air with the inside of his heel and continues to juggle and then volleys the ball back. He actually jumps in air to control the ball with the inside of his heel/foot. Wow. Skillful to say the least. Is this something you can do or have ever tired? Take a look at Pastore’s heel control trick.

I get the feeling Pastore, “El Flaco”, will turn out to be a very good signing for PSG. I like how players continue to have fun and try new things. All the top players are always striving to get better and try new soccer skills like this heel control from Pastore.

Sometimes moves or skill might not be used in a game but lead to other ways to control the ball that you will use when you least expect it or the defender least expects it. As soccer coaches, let your players have fun and do crazy tricks and moves. Not all the time but give them space to have fun and improvise.

This heel control trick is also something Pastore’s new PSG teammate, Neymar likes to do, too. Neymar used his heel to control the soccer ball a few times during games with Barcelona.

And the newest member of the heel control trick team is Liverpool forward Luiz Diaz. The Colombian attacker for Liverpool stole Neymar’s move!

Next, it’d be nice to see a pro soccer player take in a long ball and let it land on their instep and bounce up. With their foot flat on the ground let the ball bounce up in the air. Surely a pro soccer player has done this before, right.