Scientists have found out what the secret of the best footballers is

The work, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is based on an analysis of data on 204 players from the top Brazilian and Swedish leagues, as well as 124 volunteers from the general population.

Source: Leonardo Bonetti et al, "Decoding the elite soccer player's psychological profile", PNAS (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2415126122

Mind flexibility and rapid adaptation
Researchers have focused on the so-called "executive functions" of the brain: the ability to inhibit inappropriate actions, switch between tasks and control impulses. For example, it is important for defenders to react instantly if an opponent suddenly changes direction. And it is here, as it turned out, professional football players achieve noticeably better results than people who are far from professional sports.

Personality traits
In addition to cognitive skills, football players and amateur athletes differ in a number of personality traits. Using the Big Five model (extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to new things, friendliness, neuroticism), the researchers found:

• High-level players have more pronounced extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness.
• At the same time, they are less benevolent and less likely to experience anxiety (i.e., they have lower neuroticism).

The scientists were particularly surprised to find that "intransigence" coupled with discipline and persistence can have a positive effect on athletic performance. It seems that players who are not overly dependent on other people's opinions and are willing to stay the course are better at achieving goals.

Artificial intelligence in sports
To verify the findings, the team applied an artificial neural network method. The algorithm distinguished an elite-level player from someone without professional football experience with 97 per cent accuracy, based only on cognitive and personality profiles.

Impact on team selection
According to one of the authors, Predrag Petrovic, these findings can help clubs when selecting promising players. Usually in youth football, height, strength and speed are considered the main criteria, which puts undersized talents (Messi and Iniesta come to mind) at risk of being left out. The new data speaks in favour of a comprehensive assessment: in order to find a future star, it is worth paying attention to "quick wit" and certain character traits, not just physical indicators.