Football (known as soccer in overseas countries) is one of the most famous sports in the world. Fans love to watch what champions can do with the ball at their feet. If you want to become a professional footballer you will have to have a special relationship with the ball and you will have to spend most of your time playing. Passion for the game is the most important thing when you want to become a professional footballer, but it is not enough: there are many sacrifices to make and many challenges to face.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Passionate about the game
Step 1. Get involved in football body and soul
It will be the passion for the game that will make you a pro. Passion will make you overcome the negative moments and the challenges that will appear in front of you. Becoming a professional footballer must be your personal desire, not an imposition (or perhaps the realization of someone else's dream).
Becoming a professional footballer is not easy. To do this you need to have a great passion, dedicating all of yourself to football. Keeping your foot in both directions is not possible when you want to become a professional, the goal must be one and only one
Step 2. Know football perfectly
Learn as much as you can about the game. Read books, watch games and DVDs, talk to professional footballers and ask them for tactical tips and advice on how to be successful in the world of football.
Try to understand how the champions became who they are and analyze their plays to understand what their strong point is
Step 3. You will have to train a lot to become a good player, both mentally and physically
Practice every day, take some time to practice and play this beautiful game, because in the end you will probably have only one chance to break through.
You can improve your skills and reflexes by seeing yourself as the last hope on a playing field and inventing an opponent with your imagination; use your favorite moves to dribble your imagination
Step 4. Start playing from an early age
Training with a team isn't all that important. Play football whenever you can with family and friends. Become part of a youth team between 5 and 14 years.
Step 5. Train regularly
Attend the rallies as soon as possible. If your team organizes summer rallies or retreats, go there: you will feel the enthusiasm and competitiveness of the other players. You will learn a lot, and in no time.
Play official matches as soon as possible. Try to participate in youth matches and tournaments organized at school, regional and national levels
Step 6. Move step by step
Become part of a school or local team. The important thing is that the team in question has a good coach and that you can participate regularly in training. You can also go to a football school. Train from year to year with the youth teams, then move on to increasingly competitive and selective teams.
Go from youth to amateurs, and then to semi-professionals. Proceed gradually, playing from time to time with more experienced players
Part 2 of 3: Facing the Challenges
Step 1. Train hard and consistently
To become a true professional it is essential to focus on training. You will have to train almost every day, regardless of the weather conditions. You will also have to combine football with study or work (if you have a part-time one). Training and dedication will allow you to develop your skills and hone your talent.
If you have a child who would like to become a professional, your dedication must also be maximum. You will have to take him to matches, buy the necessary equipment, pay for registrations, talk to the coaches, support him in difficult moments, etc. You may also decide to coach a youth team
Step 2. Be patient
Becoming a professional is a gradual process, accept it! Over time you will learn a lot, you will improve your technical skills and knowledge of the game, you will meet other fans and so on.
Find out about the possibility of participating in vocational training programs. Ask your coach for advice for more information
Step 3. Evaluate your skills
After playing for a while, take your qualities into consideration. Evaluate which role is best suited to your characteristics. Don't just think about yourself: consider how your skills can be made available to the team and how your strengths can affect the game. In your role you will have to be the best, because the competition is so great.
Ask your coach for an honest opinion on your qualities and your room for improvement. Follow his advice to progress and hone your talent
Step 4. Try to be the best player in your category
If you aren't, think about how you can improve yourself, or consider changing roles. It is in the game that you will have to prove your qualities. Offer a consistent return, you will have to give it your all every week, not just once in a while.
If you are the man of the match every week, then you will be well on your way
Step 5. Become a good communicator
Football is a team sport and knowing how to communicate with teammates is essential. Show that you are a good communicator. Express yourself clearly and be polite. When on the pitch, avoid inappropriate or out-of-line behavior and show your team spirit.
A player who thinks only of himself and does not know how to communicate with others is harmful to the team and will not go very far
Step 6. Stay fit
Having a good physical preparation is essential in modern football. Exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. Avoid foods and drinks that can negatively affect your performance, as well as alcohol. Get enough sleep. Learn to avoid injuries (having a good basic technique is important, in this sense) and take care of the warm-up phase before entering the field.
Part 3 of 3: Preparing to Become a Professional
Step 1. Train individually
If you don't play on a team, train alone or with friends and family. Try to play with people older than you. Always aim to improve your technical skills and train a lot with the ball (what you do with the ball between your feet must be completely natural). Work on your weaknesses, try to improve from all points of view and learn to adapt to difficult situations.
Step 2. Be mentally strong
In the life of a professional footballer there are no certainties: the risk of injury is always around the corner, the contracts are short-term and the career ends relatively early. All of this is mentally exhausting and can create profound uncertainties. If it gets to high levels, the pressure of the media can become unbearable. These factors can negatively affect a football player and even lead to depression.
If you feel you can't handle the pressure, consult a good sports psychologist to learn techniques to help you cope with the most difficult situations. Remember that it is much better to talk to a trusted person than to suppress your anguish
Step 3. Find out how your team can help you
Your team could be affiliated with a professional team and propose you for auditions. Participate in the most important auditions: take advantage of these opportunities to meet new people, exchange opinions and receive advice.
Find out if your team invites observers to watch the games
Step 4. Be aware of what an observer evaluates
An observer can show up at any time to get an idea of your team. Its purpose will be to evaluate not only the technical aspects, but also the attitude of each player. It will evaluate the "character", as well as the talent. To make a good impression, bring out your team spirit by helping your teammates at every opportunity. Be ambitious and be competitive without being unfair.
You will need to show that you can stay calm and stay focused even under pressure. Always give your best, you never know who is sitting in the stands
Step 5. Be prepared for any transfers
Teams and agents expect you to be ready to go along with their wishes. It is possible that they ask you to move and put your private life on the back burner, with all the consequences that a move entails. Be prepared for such a request and stay focused on football.
Before moving, consider the following: how much you will play, if you know the language of the destination country, if the pay is adequate, if the team you will play for has a good reputation, what medical treatment will be in case of injury
Advice
- Don't be afraid of anything. Don't let negative thoughts affect the way you play, dribble and kick as if you were playing with a friend (and you want to beat him, of course).
- Try to improve yourself where you are weak, even on the pitch. Pass and kick left if you are right (or vice versa if you are left handed). Being left-handed is a great advantage, because it is more difficult for opponents to fight you.
- Never give up. Evaluations are often subjective, a certain coach may not think you are up to par, while another may think that you are an excellent player. Maybe you just need a coach who believes in you.
- During the game, stay focused and only think about football. There are other moments to think about other things and discuss other things.
- On the net there are databases of players where it is possible to register. By registering on such a site you will be able to make sure that the professionals in the field get in touch with you. Use a search engine and type "online football recruiting".
- Share your hopes and passion with family and friends - it will help you train better. If you are young, the observers will want to meet your family to get an idea of the environment in which you grew up.
- If football is your great passion, become a professional. Everything is possible in life. Don't let yourself be too conditioned by the fact that you started late: many professional athletes start to indulge in the sport they love only in high school. The most important thing is to never give up. Dedicate yourself body and soul to the cause you have voted for. Working hard always pays off. If you firmly believe in what you do, you will achieve incredible results. For dreams to come true, you need to seriously engage in everyday life.
- Never give up!
Warnings
- Stay away from alcohol and drugs - they will be addictive and inevitably worsen your performance.
- Injuries are a reality to be taken into consideration for every sportsman. Do your best to avoid them, but also learn to accept them. Take out appropriate insurance and know that your opponents will not be too subtle when it comes to fighting you.
Sources and Citations
- ↑ Etymology, Association Football, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football# Etymology
- ↑ Expert soccer, Turning Pro,
- ↑ Andy Hunt, Escribbler Football Sports Blog, footballer.html
- ↑ Martin Roderick, A very precarious profession: Uncertainty in the working lives of professional footballers, Work, Employment & Society, (2006), Vol. 20, No. 2, 245-265
- ↑ BBC,
- ↑ BBC, interview with Roger Skyrme,
-
↑
