Who hasn’t wanted to be a professional footballer at some point in their life. To play every weekend in the best stadiums in the world. To compete with the stars of the sport. To be on television every day. A dream that requires a lot of hard work, sacrifice and dedication that is not easy to achieve.
In this article we show you how to become a professional footballer. All the steps you need to take to reach the elite and find out if you are cut out for football. We also show you the ideal places to develop your talent and reach your peak.
Table of Contents
Requirements to become a professional footballer
To be a professional football player you need to fulfil several non-negotiable requirements. All elite footballers have all of these behind them and have been able to carry them with them in order to be the best. These requirements can be football-related (intelligence on the pitch, versatility) and personal (family, friends).
Requirements in football
All professional footballers have these football requirements. They have all been able to adapt to new contexts. This means that in every step they have taken in football they have had to adapt to very different situations. For example, going from a team where he was the best to a team where he had to earn his minutes as a small player.
Elite players show discipline and talent in the mental side. You must respect your teammate and, above all, the coach. Be polite to your opponents and to the referee. Players who do not have good manners and are constantly angry with the coach have no place in professional football.
Personal requirements
The personal requirements to become a professional footballer are the most complicated. But the most necessary. Many current players have had to emigrate or move away from their hometown in order to progress in football. From their respective countries to Europe or from many kilometres away.
Family and friends are left behind in pursuit of a dream. Once this step is taken, the player is liberated and can start to perform. Professional players travel and spend a lot of time away from home, so it is yet another apprenticeship that prepares players for the elite.
Academy to become a professional player
The best way to become a professional footballer is to join a high performance football academy. They are football schools where you can learn tactics, technique, a cutting-edge methodology and much more. They have great facilities where you can live, compete and train at the highest level.
In Spain there are several academies to become a professional player. However, the most recommended of them all is SIA Academy. It is located in Enguera, in the province of Valencia. It has a staff full of UEFA Pro licensed coaches. It also has top level facilities.
Football Residence
SIA Academy has a residence in its own facilities for its footballers. All of them have taken the step to fly and travel far away to fulfil their dream. They live and live together surrounded by football at the Soccer Inter-Action sports centre. They all say that the experience is great.
The residence consists of multiple hotel rooms located in front of the natural grass pitch. Each player has his own room where he can rest and carry out leisure activities. This is very important for the player’s development.
High-performance football
At SIA Academy there are two daily training sessions to maximise the player’s performance. One individual and one group session. The sessions are complemented with physiotherapy to improve the physical condition. Soccer Inter-Action players have a nutritional and physical check-up to help them develop to their maximum potential.
SIA Academy’s sports programme is completed with friendly matches against Levante UD and Valencia CF on a regular basis. Even with its own club, UD SIA Benigànim, which competes in the Spanish Third Division. A great sporting structure to generate professional footballers.
