Muhammed Riswan named among two Indian winners at Instagram Rings 2026
Muhammed Riswan, a freestyle footballer from Areekode in Malappuram, was named one of two Indian creators among the 25 winners of Instagram Rings 2026, an awards list announced on October 29. The recognition places Riswan alongside creators selected by Instagram’s Rings programme for 2026.
Riswan began playing football as a child in district tournaments before a fractured arm as a teenager forced him to stop competing on the field. The injury prompted a return home and a shift to practising tricks with a ball, leading him to freestyle football — described in the source as the art of performing tricks with a football. “It was difficult for me to leave the sport. Even though the pain made me want to leave football, once I came home from the hospital, I started kicking the ball around and began practising tricks with it. That’s how I discovered freestyle football,” says Riswan.
Instagram announced 25 Rings awardees on Thursday, October 29, chosen by a 14-member jury that included A$AP Rocky, Donatella Versace, Jack Edwards and Chef Vikas Khanna. Riswan is one of two Indian recipients this year; the other Indian winner named in the list is Bhavitha Mandava, a fashion creator.
The 23-year-old shot to wider attention after a November 2023 Reel filmed at the Keralamkundu waterfall in Malappuram, in which he kicked a football that arched into the falls and went viral. That Reel has amassed over 600 million views and won a Guinness World Records title in January 2024 for the most-viewed-ever Reel. “The video crossed 100 million views on the first day,” recalls Riswan, who took to practising freestyling by watching videos on YouTube before developing his own tricks.
Riswan currently has over 2.7 million followers on Instagram and described the Rings award as an important moment. “It is a huge achievement for me, and it gives me great joy. I want to bring fame to Keralam with my skills, and to be one of the 25 people in the list is a start,” he said. After the Reel went viral, he began receiving promotional bookings and event invitations; “I am still getting mentioned in stories and comments because of that video. In fact, I built my house from the money I earned from it,” he adds.
On his approach to freestyling as work, Riswan said putting himself in public view changed his prospects: “Once I started putting myself out there, I got the encouragement needed to do freestyling as a profession. Everyone aspires to do a job they like, and it makes me happy to lead my life this way.” He has made freestyle and content creation his primary activity since the viral attention.
In 2025 Riswan was invited by the Argentine team to watch Lionel Messi’s home game at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires; he described the trip as enjoyable despite visa difficulties. “He is my favourite player, and even though it was a difficult process to get the visa, once we got there, it was a really fun experience,” says Riswan. “Maybe next time, I will be able to spend more time with him. I also want to meet Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar.”
The 2026 Instagram Rings awards are the second edition of Rings; the broader winners’ list also includes Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland and US-based content creator Kareem Rahma.