How to Become a Professional Soccer Player

Co-authored by Bobby Warshaw

Last Updated: October 16, 2022 References Approved

Football (or soccer as it is known in Canada, the United States, and Australia^{[1]
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Research source}) is one of the most popular sports in the world. People love watching professional athletes kick the ball around. If you want to become a professional player, you need to have a love affair with the ball. This means constantly playing soccer or kicking the ball around by yourself. This passion and drive to play is the most important thing to become a professional. Understand what else it takes and expect challenges along the way.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Committing Yourself to the Game

1
Devote yourself to soccer. It is this love for the game that will drive you to become a professional soccer player. Passion will help you push through the negative and challenging moments. Professional soccer must be something that you want to do. Don't do it because it's expected of you, or because it's someone else's dream.
- If you want to be a professional player in today's market, you have to be fully committed. Every inch of your being needs to be determined to play. If you are hedging your bets, you won't be as good of a player as you can be.
2
Know the sport inside out. Learn as much about soccer as you can. Read books, watch matches and DVDs, and talk with great soccer players. Ask them about their tactics and what they've found helpful as they have climbed the ranks.
- Have a solid understanding of what famous soccer players have done to succeed and their signature moves.
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3
Train a lot and improve yourself as a soccer player, both physically and mentally. Train everyday, and if you can't train everyday, train as much as you can, because at the end of the day you only get one shot.
- You can improve your dribble skills and reflex by seeing yourself as the only hope on a play ground and making up a player to dribble through in your imagination; then make use of your favorite moves in dribbling your imaginary defender.
4
Start playing soccer at a young age. Don't worry so much about playing on a team early on. Get your friends and parents to play soccer with you as much as possible from an early age. Shift to playing in organized youth teams some time between the ages of 5 and 14.
5
Train regularly. Attend training camps as early as possible. If your club or association of clubs offers training camps, summer camps, etc., make use of these. You'll feed off the enthusiasm and competitiveness of other players. You'll also learn a lot in an intense, short period of time.
- Get involved in organized games as early as possible. Try to get into matches and tournaments that represent your school, region, state or country at the youth level.
6
Practice by moving through graduated levels. Choose a school team, local club, or district team that you can attend regularly and that has a good coach. The best option would be an academy, known for grooming young players to become professionals. Continue with youth teams every year, progressing to more competitive and selective teams every time you level up.
- Eventually, move from youth teams to amateur/semi-professional level teams or soccer academies, especially if you're in the United States or Canada. This will help you develop skills to play for a club in Europe, where the world's most elite clubs are. Climb the levels gradually, being sure to play against senior players.^{[2]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Meeting the Challenges

1
Work hard and practice a lot. Focus completely on training to become a professional. You'll need to practice nearly every day, regardless of the weather. You'll also need to balance practice with your studies or even part-time work. It is the practice and the daily dedication that will develop your talent and hone your skills.
- If you're a parent of a child seeking to become a professional player, your own level of dedication must be enormous. You may need to transport your child to games, buy soccer gear and membership fees, talk with coaches, help with informal practice sessions, or boost your child's morale. You might even coach youth soccer.
2
Be patient. Accept that turning professional is a gradual process. You'll continue to learn, build your technical skills, learn soccer knowledge, and make good contacts with other people.
- Look for professional development programs and see how you can become a part of these. Ask your coach or club mentors for advice on what's available.
3
Assess yourself as a player. After you've played for a while, seriously look at your skills. Find out what position your innate skills are best suited to. When working this out, don't just think about yourself. Think about how your skills feed into your teamwork, and how your strengths fit into the game as a whole. It's important that you are exceptional at what you do because there is a lot of competition for a certain position.
- Seek your coach's honest opinion about your strengths and your chances. Learn from your coach's suggestions about possible ways to improve or hone your natural talent.
4
Strive to be the best in your level. If you're not, make an honest assessment about how you can improve your skills or if you need to shift to a different position. You should also be able to prove that you're good in games. Be consistently good and show that you can deliver every week, not just once in a while.
- If you're the outstanding player of the week every week, you're on the right track.
5
Communicate. Soccer is a team sport and good communication is vital. Prove at all times that you are good at communicating. Use your manners, express yourself clearly, avoid unruly or angry behaviour on the field, and be a team-player.
- A player who is too much of an individual player, or refuses to communicate properly, is a liability on a team and not likely to go far. If your coach notices this, he will most likely bench you. If you are in a tryout, this is especially very unappealing to scouts, regardless of your skills.
6
Get in shape. Your fitness levels matter in soccer. Exercise regularly, eat a healthy diet, and avoid substances that can impair your performance, such as alcohol or drugs. Get enough sleep every night. It is also important to learn how to try to stay injury-free. Learn how to play well from the start and how to keep in good physical shape by stretching and exercising.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Preparing to Become a Professional Soccer Player

1
Continue to train individually. Even when you're not at the club, practice your skills alone or with friends and family members. Try to get good experience with older players as often as possible. Aim to improve your technical ability at all times. Work with the ball until everything you do with it seems like second nature.^{[3]
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Andy Hunt, Escribbler Football Sports Blog,footballer.html} Work on your weaker skills too, such as your weak foot, to strengthen your skills-set and adaptability.
2
Be strong mentally. Playing professional soccer is uncertain and unstable. Prepare for short-term contracts, the risks of injury, inevitable aging, little playing time, and loss of skill. These realities can create feelings of insecurity and burnout.^{[4]
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Martin Roderick, <i>A very precarious profession: Uncertainty in the working lives of professional footballers</i>, Work, Employment & Society, (2006),Vol. 20, No. 2, 245-265} Public exposure can be overwhelming if you do make it to the top. This can be tiring and even lead to depression, because people expect a top player to play consistently well.
- Consider seeing a sports health professional or sports psychologist to develop coping strategies if you don't already have these skills soundly in place. Learn early that it's okay to talk things out with someone you trust rather than keeping worries bottled up inside.
3
Use your club. Clubs might hold trials or talent days. They also tend to rely on the network they have in place to spot the best players and refer outstanding players onwards.^{[5]
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Research source}Involve yourself in all important tryouts. Make the most of these opportunities by meeting as many people as possible, exchanging details, and following up on leads.
- Ask about how or whether your club encourages talent scouts to visit your club.
4
Know what a talent scout is looking for. A scout might appear at any time to check out your team. A scout will watch your entire attitude, not just your ball play. You'll be watched for character as much as talent.^{[6]
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Research source} Show your team spirit by helping your teammates. Show your ambition and competitiveness, but don't be mean.
- You should also show that you can be calm and focused under pressure. Remember to play your best at all times. You never know who's in the crowd.
5
Be prepared to move often. Clubs and agents will expect you to move quickly to meet their wants, without caring much about your personal life or the long-term prospects for your career. Be fully prepared for this and continue to focus on your soccer skills.
- Before you move, consider: how often you'll be playing, if you speak the language of where you'll be moved, if the pay is adequate, if the club is challenging and has a good reputation, and if there is good medical treatment if you suffer an injury.

Community Q&A

Question

What should I do if my friends discourage me?

Community Answer

You have to use those discouragements to make you work harder. Prove them wrong!
Question

How can I be a professional soccer player when there's no one to support me?

Community Answer

Have faith that you can do this. Make the most of YouTube videos and books about soccer playing to learn all that you can. Practice in your yard and the local park. Join a local team and if your parents are not supportive, earn the money to pay for it and the gear yourself. Don't go around telling people you plan on becoming professional yet -- keep that to yourself until you are such a shining star at it that it becomes evident to coaches and others that you need to go further.
Question

How do I became confident in a match when under pressure?

Community Answer

You have to believe in yourself and know that you can do very well. Once you do something good the first time (win the ball or make a good pass), you get more confident for future times.

Warnings

Keep your distance from alcohol and drugs. It will only make you want it more, and will likely reduce your performance in your career.

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Injury is an ever-present reality with professional sports. Do your best to avoid injury but expect it too and seek appropriate insurance and health advice. Most likely players will tackle you and you will get hurt.

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Be careful with what you post on social media. Once you reach the professional level, you can be fined for making certain types of posts or comments that may be deemed unacceptable. Once you reach a certain level of fame, haters may also come onto your page, and you need to keep your head in check to avoid letting them put you down.

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