Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi might be the most famous stars in soccer, but they may have some stiff competition coming their way. While speed and skill are always elements of a good soccer player, these newcomers bring a different element to the game – size! Why you might ask? Because they are elephants!

These young boys play a fun game of soccer with some huge elephants!

Two African elephants named Shanti and Amari from Indalu, a game farm in the Western Cape of South Africa, faced off against two boys an intense game of soccer. With each elephant weighing as much as two Honda Civics, you might think that there was an unfair advantage, especially with one of the boys weighing less than 50 lbs.!

A match of size vs skill.

Finn Johnson and his two friends, Hanro and Rohan, got the chance to play against the elephants. Using trees instead of a real goalpost, the friends faced off against their large and wrinkly competition. Fiona Ayerst, Finn’s mother, is a wildlife photographer and she had a chance to record the entire game!

It was a close game, with the final score coming out to 3-2. Can you guess who won?

Thinking that the elephants would have no idea what to do, the boys went in with some false confidence. Never underestimate an elephant! Once they picked up on what was happening, they scored a few goals themselves! You can see the boys roiling the ball to them and the elephants kicking it past them! With a final score of 3-2, the boys came out victorious, but only just.

With such extremes present between the boys and the elephants, it surely is something to behold.

Little kids and elephants are so different in so many ways. With the average elephant weighing three tons, it is crazy that they can be so gentle.

Finn said:

“It was a bit scary at first because the elephants were so huge but as soon as I started scoring goals and beating them I wasn’t scared anymore.”

The elephants were as gentle as could be.

Shanti and Amari are rescues that came to live at the farm four years prior. The rangers who were on site had a great time watching the boys play with their large friends. Under supervision, the elephants and kids played with a tenderness that is stunning to see in such large creatures.

“Football” is a great game for the elephant to play!

“Fiona, Finn’s mother, spoke about the one in a lifetime experience, “Football is an enrichment game for the elephants. The game is perfect for co-ordination and also for keeping the elephants stimulated … This day was a win-win situation for all, Finn got to have some fun and pit his skills against a large animal and the elephants played a stimulating game.”

The winning strategy.

Realizing that the elephants couldn’t jump, the boys made a point to keep the game going using headers. With that strategy, combined with their dribbling skills, the boys eked out a narrow win. After the intense game, the elephants and boys all take a trip down to the watering hole for some much-deserved cooling off. While the boys didn’t get in, the elephants sure had a great time relaxing.

Check out the video below!

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Source: Animal Channel, Story Trender