Football Starts at Home?

When studying the world's best players I always find these four common denominators. First, all of these players benefitted from an early start in and around the home, from an early age. Second, the role that Fathers and Mother's and other family members played in encouraging this playtime. Third, the focus is always on mastering individual technical skills first, way before joining a team. And fourth, kids fall in love with the ball first, game second!

Understanding how the Home serves as a safe, protected environment, where Kids can fail in a safe, fun way, is key to understanding child development. Also, parent's understanding their child's constant need for attention, approval and praise, is what motivates the child to continue playing. A little 2-5yr old is not going to start playing with a ball in an empty room without a parent or somebody being present. So, when I research players, I'm trying to understand their early development, which is almost always made up of the four components mentioned above. We often hear stories about the great players like Messi, Ronaldo, Iniesta, Neymar and many more, who were "discovered" by someone and invited to this or that Academy. Most believe these players were developed at these Academies. Although these Academies do a great job of developing professional players, they are more like finishing schools. The reality is, much of the hard work has already been put in by the time these players are selected to join these top Academies. Parents play a massive role in preparing their kids at the entry level, which often sets the entire trajectory for development. Most recently I read a post on Twitter which had the following comment made by Chelsea Head Coach, Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel, was attending a youth coaching conference and remarked; "There's one unforgettable thing I heard from a youth director of FC Barcelona when Iniesta joined the academy. He told his youth coaches; 'don't try to improve him, just take care of him."

Another comment that caught my eye a few years ago by former President of famed Brazilian Club, Vasco da Gama, Eurico Miranda; "Our academies do not do anything different or better than those anywhere else. They just have to make sure not to ruin the raw material they take in. The work has already been done for them."

Let's take a look at a few of Asia's top players and the link to Football Starts at Home! There are many more but we'll start off with these 3 top players!

Son Heung Min, plays his Club Football for Tottenham Hotspur and the Korean National Team. Son is perhaps Asia's most successful player these last few years. "The mention of his father and his two-footedness is important, as they are two factors that have been central to his development. Son's coaches in Germany and at Spurs would love to claim credit for how two-footed he is, but this is something that the forward has been developing since his father started coaching Son as a child."

"Son's father, Son Woong Jung, is a former footballer himself but retired because of injury at 28. He then made it his mission to train up his two sons, Heung Min and Heung Yun. Woong Jung did not let his sons join a competitive team until they were teenagers, instead having them partake in repetitive drills that would improve their technique. Son only had a couple of years playing team football in South Korea, before moving to Hamburg as a 16 year old. His father only introduced shooting once his sons had mastered the basics of passing, dribbling and ball control."

Takumi Minamino, plays for Liverpool FC and the Japan National Team. "Takumi's likeness for the ball began while he was a toddler. As a little child (aged 1 to 3), he practiced together with his dad and older brother, Kenta. The trio would play with the ball enthusiastically inside their home and garden. The whole football thing got so exciting that Minamino's dad thought about a practice that saw him placing Training Marker Cones in the family parking lot. This enabled his sons to learn how to dribble, building their destinies in the process." Of note, both Takumi and his brother Kenta were students at our Football School in Amagasaki, Japan from 6-12yrs old.

Takefusa Kubo, was originally invited to join FC Barcelona's Youth Academy, passing the trial. During his first full season playing for the U11 Team he was top goalscorer in the league with 74 goals in 30 games. Unfortunately, after 4 years at the Barca Academy the Spanish Club was later found to have violated FIFA's international transfer policy for under 18 youths, making Kubo ineligible to play for the club. He returned to Japan and signed with FC Tokyo senior team when he was 15yrs old. In 2019, Kubo signed with Real Madrid on a five year deal. He is currently on loan playing for Mallorca. He also plays for the Japan National Senior Team and has featured in all of their Youth National Teams as well.

Below, Kubo, after his first days of training with Real Madrid, after impressing so much he was asked by a Journalist about his journey as a young child. You can see from his own words the role his father played in his early childhood development.

There is no doubt that the Football World has become obsessed with Coaches Education. It's become a multi-million dollar industry. Countries are spending millions of dollars trying to unlock that mystery on player development. Coaching is of course important, I have an affection for Coaches because I am one. However, when you dig deep into the developmental process, especially when it comes to technical skill acquisition, and you study the best of the best, it would appear that parents, family and environment, play perhaps the most significant role!