How to Become a Professional Footballer

A footballer or a football player is one who plays soccer professionally and plies his or her trade with a club. A footballer also represents their native country on international duties whenever they are called upon.

What are the Chances of Becoming a Professional Footballer?

It’s a question that so many of us talked about, mainly when we were growing up or when we picture the idea of playing soccer for a living–how tough is it to become a professional soccer player?  The numbers demonstrate the competitiveness of a professional game. Out of the children who join academies at the age of nine, fewer than one percent can become a professional footballer at some point. As far as playing Big league soccer is concerned, about 180 children out of the 1.5 million who play competitive community soccer at any one time can pursue a career in soccer. Well, that’s just 0.012 percent.

Becoming a professional footballer is an extremely challenging task to do, and there are several aspects that a player must learn to be effective. Some of the defining characteristics that all professionals share are their desire to win, the motivation for quality growth, the enthusiasm to improve, and, most of all, the love of the game–these attributes are crucial to success.

With such limited chances, how would a young player ever have the best chances of getting into that one percent? The truth is that it needs a lot more than skill. We’ve put together a compilation of some of the critical features required to excel as a professional footballer.

• You must understand what it takes to become a professional footballer
• You must possess the motivation to play and strive hard
• You must maintain an unparalleled self-confidence in your ability to play
• You have to pay attention to your health and your lifestyle
• You ought to appreciate the importance of Recovery
• You must possess the ability and willingness to learn, tactical awareness, and a robust knowledge of the game of football.

Is There an Age Limit to Become a Professional Footballer?

Football is a sport that people of all ages seem to enjoy and find fun participating in. However, if you want to take it from just been a side fun time activity to something where you’d be paid, well, it is recommended you do that when your bones are still reliable and active.

We have seen many footballers who started their career at 20 while some at 25, some even at 30(which is pretty late).

The average career life span of a footballer is 20 to 23 years, depending on what age the player started his career. A footballer who begins his career at 20 will typically have to play only about 10 to 15 years, as compared to a player who begins his career at 15 who will enjoy a career spanning across two decades and some years.

To put this question is perspective, the age limit to starting your professional footballing career is relative because players differ according to visions and goals. However, the standard age limit for anyone who wishes to become a professional footballer is 18.

For us to recognize the optimum age to start participation in football, there are some peculiarities specific to each age group that we must identify;

Seven Years Old

A 7-year-old child can have phases during which he or she completes a particular activity: he or she may abandon it for another action. Once told to do it, the kid grows sick of it quickly.

Eight Years Old

The child’s willingness to learn new techniques is higher than at 7. Many boys and girls love playing soccer. Their desires and priorities are quickly changing to various issues. Playing without control also results in disputes.

Nine Years Old

The 9-year-old likes to challenge him or herself. If it pleases the 9-year-old, he or she can practice once they have perfected the activity. The kid is an enthusiastic learner, so he wants to demonstrate what he or she has discovered.

Ten Years Old

The 10-year-old gains satisfaction from essential physical activity. They want to be part of clubs and associations. It’s the era of learning practical skills.

Considering the above observations, it is evident that the appropriate age of football initiation varies between 9 and 10 because the child possesses many of the skills that allow him or her to master football skills quickly.

Must One Join a Football Club to Become a Professional Footballer?

To answer this question, it’s an emphatic YES!!! You’d have to join a football club to become a professional footballer, either at the academy level or senior level and here is why:

• Joining a football club presents you with  you the opportunity to improve yourself as a player
• Football club offers you an excellent chance to play regularly, and playing regularly will help you improve significantly as a player.
• You will improve as a person. Becoming a regular in your football team will give you added responsibilities and will help you to mature.  You’ll have to turn up on time, and bring your kit, and be prepared for a training session or a match.
• Opportunity to make new friends. Joining a team will be an excellent opportunity to make new friends and benefit from their skills and experiences.
• Opportunity to achieve your full potential. If you think you’ve got what it takes to be a footballer, you’ll want to give it a go, and not wonder if you could have made it as a professional.  Joining a team will provide you with this opportunity.

How to Become a Professional Footballer in 15 Steps

There are a lot of things you need to understand before you become a successful football player. Your body and mind are capable of doing extraordinary things, and you can always push yourself a level farther than what you have ever previously achieved. Here are the top 15 steps that will help you become a professional football player:

1. Have a strong motivation
2. Possess a robust knowledge about football
3. Practice! Practice!! Practice!!!
4. Practice very well and smartly too
5. Believe in Yourself
6. Commit in 100 Percent of your effort to the game
7. Eat Healthily
8. Get in Shape
9. Understand the rules
10. Set goals for your self
11. Record a video of yourself practising
12. Always strive to become better
13. Create a CV for yourself
14. Search for Opportunities
15. Find a mentor and learn from your mentor

Benefits of Becoming a Professional Footballer

There are numerous benefits you get to enjoy by becoming a professional footballer. Some of these benefits are what many football fans have looked and considered even becoming footballers themselves. Below are ten benefits you get to be enjoying as a professional footballer;

• You get paid a lot, sometimes in the millions of dollars a year. It is recorded that the current highest player in the world is Neymar of Brazil and PSG. He currently earns over $545, 000 per week, which is over $20M per year. So much for doing what you love.
• You get endorsement deals, which even pays you more
• Your friend list will include celebrities from all works of life
• Not only will you get recognized for being a professional footballer, but you also get to be a celebrity signing autographs
• Aside from all the secondary benefits of becoming a professional footballer, you also get to be in shape and healthy at all times
• Becoming a professional footballer allows you to travel the world in style, as you get to play, local and international tournaments
• Whenever you visit a game, you will be given preferential treatment in the stadia by getting a reserved seat
• You will receive VIP treatment everywhere you go
• You are treated specially by top chefs as they take you through unique dishes
• Becoming a professional footballer grant you the opportunity to do what you love every day.

Top Opportunities Open to Professional Footballers

Becoming a professional footballer isn’t all about the pitch, although most of your active years will be on the ball. However, countless opportunities are available to professional footballers, aside from being on the pitch. In this section we will look at ten opportunities which are available for professional footballers;

• You can become an athletic (talent), Scout
• You can become an Athletic Trainer since this is the route you took to becoming a professional
• A broadcast engineer
• You can become a concessions worker earning an additional $119, 040 a year
• Becoming a Pro Footballer, you can become a Dietitian
• Opportunity to become a human resource Associate
• Becoming a Pro Footballer grants you the chance to become a referee
• You can become a security officer
• You can become a stadium usher
• As a professional footballer, you can become a statistician making $80k a year.

Finally, there is a lot of luck involved in becoming a professional footballer, but you can give yourself a better chance by following certain principles. Being a professional footballer is the dream job for many, and it’s easy to see why. After all, it offers one the chance to become a millionaire by playing a game they love. Not only that, but those who excel in the sport are, more often than not, revered, and their legacies resonate for years, decades even. However, it is an incredibly competitive industry, which demands dedication, consistency, and sacrifice.