About 265 million people play football worldwide with only 113,000 persons making a living out of the game. What differentiates the professional soccer players from the others? It takes more than talent to be where the selected few are. In this article, we bring you five tips from football legends that you could apply and make a living out of the sport you love.
Start from where you are
Not everyone has access to resources and the right environment. Nevertheless, quit complaining and get to work. This is the tactic Cristiano Ronaldo used to rise to fame and score those timeless goals. Ronaldo believes that anyone can use what they have and develop top-notch skills.
- Be unpredictable while in possession
Remember to be fast, drive towards defenders, sharply cut the ball, and attack. Van Der Vaart is known to play forward with his head up. He keeps in possession and takes the earliest time to score.
- Have the nerve to never stop
Great players can play for 90 minutes and go to extra time while still remaining energetic. Landon Donavon wins the battle by pushing the pace to the very end. He outruns his competition and scores even in the last minutes. If you play harder, you may outdo your more skilled opponents.
- Have lots of practice
Research shows that successful footballers train for around 10,000 hours. It takes a lot of hard work! A player like Raheem Sterling will ensure he is last to leave the training field. Just look at how his game has improved and the trend of scoring goals for his team Manchester city. Experts recommend 3 hours of intense training. Do not just go through the motions, concentrate.
- Improve your game with every match you play
People get bored when they see old tactics all over again. Also, if your opponents learn your moves, you can never score on them. Bring new things to the playing field. That is the secret to Ricardo Kaka’s success in the game.
- Face your low moment, celebrate moderately
Loosing and winning is part of life. If things do not work out, collect yourself and learn from the failure. Javier Mascherano believes in doing his best and letting go. He does not allow bad experiences affect his confidence or winning get to his head.
It all takes courage and determination to become a pro in soccer. Do your best, practice a lot, be patient and soon enough, you will reap the fruits of your hard work.
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