The World Cup is widely known as soccer’s biggest event, but have you ever seen a soccer match that was truly out of this world?
Mastercard put together a record-breaking game that did just that.
Portuguese legend Luis Figo was among eight soccer stars who set a new Guinness World Record for the “highest altitude game of football (soccer) on a parabolic flight” on Aug. 20.
Figo and the other competitors boarded an aircraft and kicked off in zero-gravity conditions once they reached an altitude of 20,230 feet. The group was split into two four-person teams with players coming from the Middle East, Europe and Latin America and they played on a 75-square-meter pitch designed specifically for the aircraft.
The world record was verified by two timekeepers, and the players were presented with the honor by an official adjudicator.
“Football transcends boundaries and unites people around the world,” Figo said in a press release. “I have played in stadiums where the electric atmosphere sparks emotions that cuts across cultures and nationalities; this was the exact same experience I had playing this beautiful game at 20,000 feet above ground with a group of fearless football fanatics taking their passion for the sport to unprecedented heights.”
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Figo has a Ballon d’Or trophy to his name, but his latest achievement might be his most otherworldly yet.
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Check out the video above to see some of the action from the record-setting match.
