Tonye Solomon popularly called Deeboi is an amazing talent. As a freestyle football juggler, Deeboi can do so many incredible things with a ball. Little wonder his name exists in the Guinness Book of World Records.
In an interview with Mangrove Pen, Deeboi disclosed that his juggling career started in 2006.
He said that: “One day an old man approached me while I was juggling a ball and said there is something different about me. The man said I can also do that thing other professional jugglers do. It was at this point I started freestyle juggling.”
The Bayelsa State-born football juggler said Jay Jay Okocha has been his greatest inspiration.
He narrated how he was always watching the amazing videos of the former Super Eagles captain which prompted his laborious trainings.
Deeboi was not very confident when he started his juggling career; often doubting if he could actually juggle like Okocha and Ronaldinho.
“By performing in football competitions, marriages, birthdays and other events, I became better in my talent. It was then I started believing I can do anything with football,” he said.
Today, Deeboi’s persistence has given him the needed confidence to be an incredible football juggler.
Interestingly, in 2015, he did the unimaginable when he trekked a distance of 60km with a football on his head, thereby breaking the Guinness World Record.
Again, on December 1, 2018, Deeboi broke another world record by swimming across a 600m wide river while having a ball on his head.
“I have many things to offer to the world. I will use ball to climb a coconut to do things that nobody has ever done.
“Come December this 19, I will ride a bicycle from Mbiama to Yenagoa with a ball on my head. The distance is about 5Ikm.
Deeboi bemoaned the lack of encouragement from government, despite training hard to make his state and the country proud.
That notwithstanding, Deeboi said he would continue to work hard to bring glory to Bayelsa and Nigeria at large, revealing that he intends to organize a monthly programme that would attract people all over the world.
While advising youths to shun vicious activities that would destroy them, Deeboi also urged them to believe in themselves and harness their God given talents.
“God has given each one of us a talent that will put food on our table. Stop doing things that will give you a bad name. Pray to God and He will show you your talent,” he said.
