Brendon Shabani grew up dreaming of becoming a professional footballer just like millions of other kids. But even though he signed a pro deal on his 17th birthday and went on to play in the Football League, founding Rising Ballers surpasses it all. Shabani's story started near Walthamstow in east London.
Like most children, football was Shabani's obsession but he was rejected by QPR at the age of 10. He would bounce back by linking up with Leyton Orient a year later, where he eventually progressed through the club's academy ranks before leaving the O's in the summer of 2021. Rising Ballers, a Gen Z football brand which showcases and champions some of the world's top up and coming stars, was born at a time when Shabani himself was touted as a football prodigy.
He wanted to give exposure to the next generation of stars and came up with the idea for the brand as a 14-year-old alongside his brother, Eni, after undergoing surgery on a knee injury. He tells Mirror Football : "I was sitting in Nandos with my older brother and we were just sitting there and I was like, 'For f*** sake, I've done my meniscus again'. Like, what is going on here? What should I do now, because I've got so much time on my hands.
"Obviously, I'm doing okay at school, but I don't really care about it: I want to be a footballer. And we were just talking about things we could do and we spoke about Jamal Edwards , who founded SBTV at the time. He was pushing young rappers, putting them on the scene and giving t.