One of the world’s famous football players, Johan Cruijff, (a Dutchman), expresses his philosophies about football a lot in the media and in books. I have summarised some of his thoughts on how to become “a good player”
and would like to share them with you.
Cruijff’s criteria for being or becoming a good player:
1) A good player has a lot of technique. This is basic, because if you can’t pass or receive a ball properly, nothing else will make much sense. Once that base is there, you can start thinking of becoming a very good player.
2) Secondly, players need discipline. Just do a good job.
3) The third and most underestimated characteristic is personality.
If you don’t score highly on one of these points, it’s better to choose a different sport. You will never become a professional football player. Technique, discipline and personality: the union of three elements needed for the profession of top level footballer.
I can’t agree more with these pillars for becoming successful in playing football. Players in our football program all dream of a professional career. All are willing to practise skills over and over again. But, do they also realise that taking responsibility, showing discipline and developing a strong personality will make a real difference in getting the most out of their talent?
In my 20 years experience of working with talented people, I have seen many gifted players failing – and not because of a lack of football skills. The best players regularly didn’t make it because of a lack of discipline and a lack of personality.
All the fundamentals for becoming successful can be developed at IFS. It’s up to players: being successful is a choice!
Hesterine
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