Liv Cooke: Freestyle footballer's seventh world record 'incredible'

Liv Cooke said breaking the record was "amazing" but inspiring children was the "most important" thing for her.

A freestyle football champion has said it was "incredible" to achieve her seventh Guinness World Record.

Liv Cooke landed 76 sit-down alternating crossovers with a football on a cruise ship in Barcelona.

The 24-year-old from Leyland, Lancashire, said breaking the record was "amazing" but inspiring children was the "most important" thing for her.

"There were some kids boarding the ship ready for their holiday and they were as excited as me", she said.

Ms Cooke said that growing up with two older brothers played a role in her initial hopes to become a footballer.

"From the minute I could walk, they were blasting a football at me, usually putting me in the net so they could practise their striking", she said.

"I loved football - I was always out on the street kicking a ball around and wanted to play for England and I was on track and at the camps, training with the Lionesses that you see today and then I got a lower back injury."

Liv Cooke landed 76 sit-down alternating crossovers with a football on a cruise ship in Barcelona

Ms Cooke said this injury "broke my heart" and she was out of action for seven months, but her strong interest in the sport compelled her to try to move about as much as she could.

"Probably on the three to four-month mark, I was in my garden sat in a position that didn't hurt my back, trying to keep the ball up and without knowing. That was the start of my freestyle journey.

"I didn't even realise I was freestyling at the time. I was learning one trick, and then another and I just became obsessed with progressing and by the time I was fit to go back into football, I had absolutely fallen in love with football."

She beat former role model Laura Biondo's record for the "most sit-down alternating football crossovers in 30 seconds (female)".

"For me, it's not about the world record itself, it's me needing something to work towards and strive for. It's the process that fuels me", she said,

"I don't want to just beat the world record for women, I want to beat the record full stop because I believe I'm the best freestyle footballer in the world."