A NEWPORT football trickster has put his name in the records books.

Abbas Farid, 25, set the new world record for the most heel kicks in one minute by performing 88 during Big Dance 2008.

Mr Farid, who has been a professional football freestyler for seven years, set the record for this category and is the first person to hold the title.

He was inspired to go for the world record as heel flicks are a speciality of his and he wanted to go for a record in his area of expertise.

"I'm glad I'm in the record books, I think it was about time I did something for Guinness, it's a good feeling," he said.

But, ever the perfectionist, Mr Farid now plans to break his own record as he believes he can go as high as 130 heel kicks in one minute.

His job has taken across the globe, visiting countries such as far afield as Singapore, South Africa and Kuala Lumpur.

He has also performed in front of thousands of fans at stadiums around Europe, including Stamford Bridge, the Stade de France and the San Siro, where he played keepy uppy with Ronaldinho in the centre of the pitch, which "made me feel like a kid."

Mr Farid is also an ambassador for the Kick Racism out of Football campaign and won the 2007 Hong Kong freestyle competition.