There is a reason soccer is called football around the world.  Yet 11-year-old Gabriel Muniz has been able to excel at the sport despite being born without feet.

Gabriel wears prosthetics most of the time, but they would slow him down on the soccer field. So he amazingly runs around on his stumps, looking no different than any of the other players from the ankles up. In fact, he has won multiple medals for his soccer prowess at his Rio De Janeiro school.

His unique ability has even captured the attention of the legendary soccer club Barcelona, who invited him to Spain to practice with the team. During his trip he got to meet his soccer hero, Lionel Messi.

Gabriel is realistic about his disability and knows it will prevent him from ever playing professional soccer. Instead, he hopes soccer will become a paralympic sport, so he can compete for his country in it. We hope so too, as Gabriel certainly deserves the chance to continue on his inspiring journey.

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