7 Signs You Will Become A Pro Footballer
Thousands of players play trials to bag a chance in elite football clubs, but only a fraction of them get selected. According to a study, out of 1.5 million youth players currently playing in England, only 180 are expected to develop and play in the Premier League. It is incredibly challenging to become a professional footballer, and young players often ponder what signs they must exhibit to understand their potential as professional players.
Are you also one of the young aspiring footballers who wonder how to be a professional footballer? Don’t worry, this blog will explain exactly what it takes to become a skilled player. Let’s dive into the 7 signs you will become a pro footballer, and if you don’t have these qualities, it might be time to switch your career goals.
1. Superior Technical Knowledge
Indubitably, superior technical knowledge is one of the 7 signs you will become a pro football player. Technical understanding of the game is sometimes innate, and some players acquire this expertise through years of hard work and constant training, including footwork drills, agility drills, and strength work using training gear. If you have a strong command of the following technical nuances of the game, then you might become the next football sensation.
Ball control: You can receive the ball smoothly with your feet, chest, and head under pressure.
Accurate Ball Passing: You can pass the ball to another teammate with precise weight, speed, and precision using different parts of the foot. It is essential that you can pass the ball over short and long distances.
Dribbling: a highly valued skill, meaning you can move the ball in different directions with varying speeds, maintaining ball control, and using moves, feints, and changes of pace to evade opponents.
Shooting: the most rewarding and applauded skill. You can strike the ball powerfully to score goals from various field positions.
Defending: You know how to position your body, time tackle, mark opponents and intercept without committing fouls.
Footwork: if you can use both your dominant and weak foot for control, passing, and shooting, then it might be a sign that you can be a pro footballer. Footballers train their feet through footwork drills.
2. Exceptional Match fitness
Football is one of the most physically demanding sports. A fit body can be a sign that you might become a professional football player. Physical fitness helps players to last 90 minutes of the game, and it also affects their brain’s ability to make decisions in soccer. A fatigued body leads to brain fatigue, which in turn results in poor match performance. Match fitness is thus the most essential attribute of elite players.
A good player should train themselves to gain aerobic and anaerobic endurance, speed, agility, strength, and power. Following strength work, agility drills and footwork drills from YouTube is going to take you away from your professional footballer dream. So it is highly recommended to join an academy or other football training services to gain match fitness.
You can avail training sessions from football development organisations such as AF Global, which partners with schools and effectively blends academic and football training. Players can perform the various drills under the guidance of qualified experts, using modern training gear, to achieve the match fitness of elite players.
One must lead a disciplined life and follow a balanced football diet to become a professional footballer. A football diet is based on strict dietary guidelines and includes more protein, good fats, and lots of fruits and vegetables to enhance recovery and maintain weight.
3. High Game IQ and Tactile Awareness
High game IQ and tactile awareness can be signs that you will be a professional football player. These qualities distinguish great players from good ones. It is not always about who runs the fastest; sometimes, it is who thinks faster that matters more.
Professional elite players possess a high game IQ, enabling them to understand the game better than others. It is their ability to anticipate the next moves of the opponents through their intuition and high game IQ. These elite players are quick learners who constantly adjust their strategies during the match. Such players have the highest chance of becoming a professional. You might become a top-tier player if you,
Foresee the play
Control the momentum
Make others look good
Stand out without needing the ball every second
You can become a professional athlete if you have outstanding tactile awareness. It means you know how to position yourself during the match. It also includes the player’s ability to maintain balance and speed during duels.
The good news is that these attributes are not always innate; they can be acquired through consistent training with a local football youth academy or by joining partnership programs like AF Global.
4. Mental Toughness
You will become a professional player if you possess the mental toughness to handle football pressure. Football is not only physically demanding, but it is also mentally draining. Many talented players underachieve due to a lack of mental strength. Mental toughness has a significant impact on decision-making in soccer and, hence, on your performance.
You can become a professional player if you possess mental strength attributes, such as remaining calm and nonchalant during high-intensity games. You must be strong enough to withstand consistent training. Elite players possess unwavering confidence that enables them to bounce back after setbacks and disappointments. One of the most important attributes you must acquire to be a pro footballer is making the right decision in split seconds during the game.
Mental toughness is not only a cherished quality on the pitch, but it is also beneficial during training in the youth academy or other organisations. Mental strength is also essential when you lose or when you’re benched. To stay motivated at this point and avoid depression, anxiety and disappointment, it is vital to have a calm mind with resilient mental strength.
5. Structured training from an early age
You might become a tier one player if you have been training from an early age. Age plays a vital role in becoming a professional player. Most elite players have been teaching since their early teens or even pre-teens. According to data, 66.7% were 15 years or younger when they entered a professional academy.
If you train from childhood, you can gradually build your skill set and improve your technical knowledge and tactile awareness. Children are typically faster learners than adults, which is a key reason why training should begin from an early age.
Your chances of getting scouted for elite academies are higher if you enrol in a structured training program, such as a youth academy or a football development organisation like AF Global, which provides evidence-led training in partnership with schools and colleges. AF Global combines education and football training, offering showcase opportunities and participation in high-quality football competitions. Here is an overview of training for different age groups.
For young children (Under 13): individual technique development, coordination and game information.
For pre-teens (Ages 12-14): same as young children, but training hours extend up to 6-8 hours per week.
For teenagers (Ages 15-18): physical preparation, tactile awareness, gym, strength training and other drills.
6. Coachability
You will become a pro football player if you listen to your coach and are ready to apply his instructions to improve your technique, strategy, and overall performance in the game. Do you want to know how to be a professional footballer? No one can answer it better than a qualified and experienced coach. All the elite players listen closely to their coaches and act on their advice.
“A coachable player is an unstoppable player. Talent gets you noticed — humility keeps you there.” Former NFL coach and football analyst Herm Edwards.
Coaches at academies and clubs not only look for talented players, but they also prefer those who are respectful and demonstrate humility. You will become a pro footballer if you listen, learn and improve. Moreover, ask your coach for advice and act upon it. It is important to take criticism positively and stay motivated after setbacks and mistakes. And lastly, showing gratitude is another essential attribute of elite players.
Coachability is not only confined to the pitch; it also extends to the off-field. It is imperative to be punctual, respectful, receptive, and professional during team meetings and other interactions.
7. Dedication and passion
“There is no pressure when you are making a dream come true.”
You can be a professional football athlete if you have unwavering passion and utmost dedication towards the game. Elite players not only play, but they live and breathe football. This insatiable hunger for the love of the game distinguishes good players from the best ones.
You might become a professional footballer. If you don't need daily motivation, the game is enough to keep you moving. Passion doesn’t let you sleep on improvement, and even after good performance and strong skills, you want to improve each day. You focus on small details, such as your nutrition, recovery, training gear, and mindset.
You can become a professional if the love of the game keeps you motivated through setbacks, rejections, injuries and mistakes. Your passion drives you to commit to rigorous training, intense diets, drills, strength training, the gym, and physically demanding matches.
Conclusion
Football is a game that demands your mind, body and soul to be at their best. Football is not just a game; it is a passion and obsession for some. But now you must have understood how you can be a professional footballer, and the most important signs to look for in yourself.
Let’s simply list down the key attributes required to become a professional football player.
Remarkable technical knowledge of the game.
High-calibre physical strength, speed, agility and stamina.
Exceptional understanding of the game and tactile awareness.
Mental strength to perform under pressure, make quick decisions, and stay calm in high-pressure situations.
Eagerness to learn and continually improve your craft each day.
Unwavering passion and dedication for the sport.
If you don’t possess these attributes, don’t worry, not every great player was born a star; passionate players can pave their way to professional football through consistent hard work. This can be achieved through training, discipline, and hard work. You must either join a youth academy or participate in programs such as AF Global, which partners with various schools and colleges to provide research-backed training to students. They have qualified coaches, mental therapy experts, and sports science professionals to help shape the careers of aspiring young footballers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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You can know if you are good at football, if you perform well consistently, and if you exhibit strong fundamental skills. You should also have the required physical attributes and mental strength. Lastly, if you are a fast learner and coachable, then you are likely to excel at football.
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There is no one most complex skill in football. The following are some of the most complicated football skills and are spectacular to watch.
The Volleys; shots executed by kicking the ball before it hits the ground.
Elastico: Use inside and outside of the foot to roll the ball to fool the opponent.
The Carasco Phil 3000: a complicated move in which the player blocks the opponent with one foot while rolling the ball back with the other foot. The player then uses the other foot to tap and pull the ball forward, smoothly dodging the opponent.
Scoring a goal from a goal kick: scoring a goal from the opposite goal post is very difficult due to the distance and players in between.
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To become a professional player, you can do the following;
Expert-led training from an early age.
Playing football in good-quality competitions.
Showing up for every trial and camp.
Building tactile awareness.
Disciplined lifestyle and a footballer’s diet.
Develop mental strength and humility.
Join an academy or other football training programs, such as AF Global.
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To help your child become a successful footballer, assist them in developing exceptional technical skills and tactile awareness through targeted training. Encourage them to participate in leagues and tournaments. You must attend trials and camps. You should enrol your child in a local football academy or club.
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Becoming a footballer without an academy is difficult but not impossible. It requires consistent and untiring hard work, dedication and discipline. You must master your fundamental skills through training. You must lead a disciplined lifestyle. You must participate in local football tournaments and attend open trials to showcase your options.