NEWPORT’S Rico Zulkarnain is continuing to make his mark in the futsal world.

The Welsh international jetted out to Orlando, Florida, last week to take part in a VIP Professional Futsal League of America event.

Zulkarnain was picked to take part in the showcase match between two of the sport’s superstars – Portuguese ace Ricardo Filipe da Silva Braga, best known as Ricardinho, and Brazilian Alessandro Rosa Vieira, more commonly known as Falcão.

Zulkarnain was the number one draft pick by the current world number one player Ricardinho.

Team Ricardinho were edged out 12-8 by Team Falcão but Zulkarnain was proud to have been Ricardinho’s first pick.

“I'm truly speechless,” he said. “After two days of training with Falcao, Ricardinho and the other players, out of the final 10 selected PFL Next players worldwide I was chosen as the first ever draft player in the history of American futsal at the special VIP event at Disney's Epcot Centre.

“I'm truly honoured to be playing amongst the greatest players this world has to offer including the two biggest icons in futsal in front of thousands of fans at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. This is a night that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Dreams really do come true!”

Futsal is a variant of football and was developed in Brazil in the 1930s and 1940s.

It is played on a smaller pitch to 11-a-side football and usually indoors.

Futsal translated from Portuguese means room football and Zulkarnain is one of the world’s best exponents.

Last year he became Wales’ first professional futsal player when he signed for IPC Pelindo in Indonesia and he went on to win the league, scoring twice in the final.

Afterward he competed in the USA, winning the World Futsal Championships, and in Australia where he was voted most valuable player and won the Futzal Oz Australian Futsal League.

He recently travelled to Dubai and competed in the NAS Sports tournament and soon he will announce where he will be playing professionally next, which will be in either Spain or Italy.

Zulkarnain, of Trinity Place in Pill, told the Argus last year why he loves futsal.

“Because you play with a weighted ball and on a small court, there’s no hiding,” he said.

“There’s a lot of one-on-one situations and scoring goals from the half way line. There’s a lot of volleys. It is all the best of football.”