Dropping out of a professional youth club is not the end of your football career. Although the initial disappointment can be rough, you will have other chances. This article goes into cases where dropouts of professional youth academies and players that could not make it at first, became stars through a detour. Not giving up, keeping fit and focus on improving, rather than trying a quick fix can help you. Current day scouting is partly based on statistics. If you don’t fit in a team or if players don’t understand your type of plays, computer systems will reject you. One of the systems is the computer system named Coach and Scout Assistant (CSA). CSA is a data system that lays the focus on;
technical abilities
- heading
- shooting
- dribbling
- passing
Physical abilities
- speed
- strength
- lift/right legged
Mental Abilities
- Coaching
- confidence
- team discipline
- work ethic
Soccer Is Not A Computer Program
Computer systems like CSA are evaluated with the technical staff reports and scouting reports. These kinds of computer systems are being increasingly used and this is not necessarily a good direction. Computer systems and data-analysis can have a positive role in soccer. Predicting potential can be a huge improvement for the soccer world. For example, many young players have undetermined muscle fibers. These satellite cells can become muscle type I, IIa or type IIb. By adjusting the type of training for youngsters, depending on their muscle fiber composition, huge improvements can be made. Individual strength training programs based on computer data could improve speed, acceleration, and jump height. Again, this should only be done as a supplement to human scouting. Johan Cruyff made this statement about the current state of soccer academies.
I find it terrible when talents are rejected based on computer stats. Based on the criteria at Ajax now I would have been rejected. When I was 15, I couldn’t kick a ball 15 meters with my left and maybe 20 with my right. My qualities technique and vision, are not detectable by a computer.
Johan Cruyff
It Is Not The Fault Of The Scouts
The success rate of professional soccer academies is staggering small. You have about the same chance of becoming a pro at an amateur club as with a professional one. This is due to the sheer numbers of kids and the limited space available. Some studies find that going to a professional soccer academy at an early age does not improve your physical abilities. When early recruiters of professional soccer clubs are compared to late recruits, the results are surprising. When both early recruits (under 14,15) are compared to late recruits, the results are the same at age 18. The authors noted;
Furthermore, a lot of early recruits are physically stronger to start with. This can give a skewed image. Studies find that these players stay ahead of the curve, thanks to, or, despite of being the professional soccer academies. Scientist noted;
These findings indicate that future elite players had already been better at the beginning of the TID program and maintained this high level throughout their promotion from U12 to U15. TID =talent identification and development
What You See Is What You Get
The scouts can only scout on what they see, which is highly associated with strength and achievements, not with potential. This is why you have more chance of going to a professional soccer club if you are born in the first 3 months of the year. Soccer is a huge industry (Europe alone is worth about $28 billion). Soccer clubs want to have the best players available at an increasingly younger age. This trend, however, has got its downturns. Repetitive actions taught from an early age can result in injury. Especially when children are young, the lack of strength and muscle can leave an increase in injury risk.
In professional soccer academies, there is an emphasis on winning. This concept is expected both by coaches and parents. You can win in many ways. By playing in a defensive team with a couple of fast and effective strikers your team can win, but it does not let you reach your potential. Furthermore, children playing in professional soccer academies want to win. Soccer academies can’t afford to make individuals better, but parents can. You as a parent can make sure your child is ready for soccer club mentality. If your child is not yet ready to focus on winning but want to explore and have fun, wait. As one study noted;
Dropouts Of Professional Youth Academies Finding Their Way
Soccer has many stories of wasted talent. There is no set way for soccer players to succeed. The stories described show that if you have skills. talent and a little bit of luck you can still become a star. The key is to make smart choices. If you have to go to a lower league, you might have to go and play, even if it’s in another country.
Esajas
Harvey Delano Esajas was a talented player at the AJAX youth teams. Esajas was from the streets and made life difficult for himself. He hung around with the wrong friends and was kicked out of the AJAX academy. He was so talented that Feyenoord offered him a professional contract. Esajas could not make a breakthrough in the Dutch top division. After wandering around Europe Esajas ended up working for a Spanish circus! Around 3-4 years later, weighing at around 100 kg, Esajas had not touched a soccer ball in many years. Esajas knew Seedorf from his AJAX time. In 2004, Seedorf told Esajas to go back to play soccer. Seedorf told the Milan manager Ancelotti, there is a free defender available. Ancelotti gave Esajas a chance for a trial. Esajas lost 15 kg and got fit, he got a contract! Even though Esajas played only a couple of minutes in the Italian cup, he was part of the squad that reached the champions league finals.
Pelle
Pelle was on holiday when he met a friend of Ronald Koeman’s son. Through this conversation, business talks were started and Pelle eventually started on loan at Feyenoord. Before this event, Pelle had an 8-year long difficult soccer career. Pelle mostly played in lower-rated leagues, often on loan. After his loan to Feyenoord however, Pelle became a star. Pelle scored 50 goals in 2 seasons, and move to the premier league. After playing in the premier league Pelle transferred to China where he became the fifth-best paid soccer player in the world!
Cantona
Cantona early career looked like a rollercoaster. From kung-fu tackles, shooting balls towards spectators, fighting and calling members of the French Football Federation idiots to their faces. Cantona resigned from soccer in 1991! until Platini asked him to return to soccer. One year later, Cantona started his career at Manchester United and became one of the best and iconic players of his time.
Bierhoff
Oliver Bierhoff played 73 matches in the German top league he while scoring only 10 goals. As a striker, his career as a professional did not look well. After 4 years in Germany, Bierhoff tried his luck in Austria. Bierhoff went to Austria Salzburg and scored many goals in this easier league. Scoring in this easier league, however, gave Bierhoff a chance to play at lower league at Italy at Ascoli. After 4 years at Ascoli, Oliver went to Udinese. At Udinese, Bierhoff flourished and transferred to AC Milan where he scored 36 goals. During his AC Milan time, Bierhoff started to play at the national team. Olivier scored both goals in the European Cup Final and became the captain of the German team in 1998.
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