How African football teams train their youth players

In modern football, the ability to adapt across different tactical systems has become a core requirement for young players. Unlike in the past, when clubs often followed a single philosophy from academy to first team, today’s game demands flexibility. Managers switch formations based on opponents, competitions, or even individual match phases, and clubs want players who can perform at a high level regardless of the tactical framework. From Philosophy to Practice Each academy begins by instilling a clear identity—whether that’s Barcelona’s positional play, Ajax’s emphasis on fluid attacking football, or RB Leipzig’s vertical transitions. Yet, the best academies also recognize that players will not spend their careers in one club or under one system. For that reason, they expose youngsters to a variety of tactical contexts. A player might train in possession-oriented exercises one week, and pressing-focused drills the next. The idea is to build a broad footballing education, not just a narrow specialization. Developing Tactical Intelligence Training methods go beyond technical mastery. Coaches now use video analysis, tactical boards, and data-based feedback even with U-15 and U-17 squads. Players learn to recognize pressing triggers, spacing principles, and transitional moments. For example, German academies—such as Borussia Dortmund’s—often teach players to anticipate counter-pressing situations immediately after losing the ball, a hallmark of the Bundesliga. Meanwhile, academies in Italy, like Atalanta’s, emphasize tactical discipline in defensive phases, preparing players for systems that require compactness and shape retention. Examples of Adaptability in Action Some of the brightest young players in recent years illustrate this flexibility. Pedri at Barcelona can operate in both possession-heavy systems and more direct attacking setups with Spain. Jude Bellingham, developed in England and polished at Borussia Dortmund, adapted seamlessly to Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid, thriving in both a midfield three and an advanced attacking role. These examples highlight how modern training prepares players not for one role, but for multiple tactical demands. A youth player capable of understanding and adapting to multiple systems becomes invaluable at senior level. In competitive leagues, clubs often alternate between a back four and a back three, or shift between high pressing and mid-block defending within the same game. Versatility ensures that young players don’t become system-dependent but instead can thrive under different managers and environments. The new generation is trained to think, read the game, and adapt instantly. This holistic preparation equips them for the fluid and unpredictable nature of modern football, making them not just athletes, but complete professionals capable of succeeding under any philosophy of play.

Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting a webinar in collaboration with World Football Summit (WFS), featuring insights from Marian Otamendi and Camilo Monroy C. ⚽ WFS has become a leading platform in shaping the global football industry, bringing together clubs, federations, professionals, and now increasingly, students. Since 2023, the initiative has expanded with masterclasses, a football jobs platform, and 1:1 networking opportunities, making it more accessible for young professionals looking to break into the sports industry. Some key takeaways from the session included: - The Spanish sports sector continues to evolve, with growing opportunities for diversity in leadership. - Standing out goes beyond passion, tailor applications, show industry knowledge, and highlight concrete skills. - Smaller organizations can often offer faster learning and broader responsibilities compared to large clubs. - The upcoming 2030 FIFA World Cup will open new pathways across the industry. - Building an active LinkedIn presence and following outlets like 2PlayBook, Palco23, Sports Business Journal, and Football Benchmark is essential. - A big challenge remains: monetizing football’s vast global fan base. ✨ Looking ahead: The next World Football Summit will take place on October 15–16. Thanks to the collaboration between IE Sports Business Club and WFS, students can enjoy exclusive discounts to attend. For more information about it, club members can check their emails for extra details. A huge thank you to Marian and Camilo for sharing their expertise, and to the IE Sports Business Club for making this collaboration possible. Excited to see many of you at WFS in October!

From the pitch to the boardroom: leading innovation at the intersection of sports and technology 💡 Sol Campbell ⚽ Legendary Former England Captain & Premier League Champion, Sport Tech Leader, is a renowned leader whose two-decade football career defined excellence, resilience, and leadership at the highest level. 🔸 Representing England and playing for some of Europe’s top clubs, Sol earned global recognition for his defensive strength, discipline, and influence on and off the field. 🔸 After retiring from professional football, he continued his pursuit of growth, studying Sport Business and Media at Harvard University and earning the prestigious UEFA Pro Licence in coaching. 🔸 Today, Sol channels his experience into the sports technology sector, driving innovation and transformation as a CEO and entrepreneur. His journey from elite athlete to business leader embodies a passion for growth, learning, and creating positive impact in the evolving world of sports. Meet Sol at #VDS2025 and discover how leadership, technology, and purpose are shaping the future of the game 🔥

🧠 Where football meets science and emotion In his latest feature, Edward Chalk explores the bold methodology behind ForeFront Football | Methodology and Technical direction. A company helping clubs and coaches around the world evolve their identity, structure, and performance. From FC Barcelona’s “Location Game” to neuroscience-backed training, their approach is reshaping how the game is taught, played, and understood. Read how they’re building smarter players, transformational coaches, and more adaptable systems: https://lnkd.in/dBSBtYA2 #footballmethodology #playerdevelopment #coachingphilosophy #sportsinnovation #footballtraining #neuroscienceinfootball

Thanks to The Football Week for giving us the opportunity to share the projects we are developing: - Methodological consulting for clubs, focused on optimising the player development process, increasing economic player value, and efficiently structuring the sporting department; as well as supporting first-team performance. - Game analysis and coach education aimed at implementing, consolidating, or optimising a specific game idea. - Individual consulting for players to enhance performance and improve decision-making in competitive contexts.

Our football system both builds & destroys stars. Here are the reasons wonderkids fade. Football worships potential, but it rarely knows how to protect it. Like this? Sign up to our newsletter: 📲 https://lnkd.in/eP7fw-rE Clubs now invest millions in players before they’ve even turned 18, but the infrastructure around those players hasn’t evolved at the same pace. Media exposure, social validation, and financial pressure arrive years before emotional maturity does. That’s the primary flaw in modern talent development: football has industrialised youth scouting but not human growth. The best examples of “failed wonderkids” are caused by system failure rather than lack of ability: 🇺🇸 Freddy Adu wasn’t ready for fame. 🇪🇸 Bojan broke under pressure. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Ravel Morrison was a product of instability. 🇲🇦 Mastour was marketed before he matured. 🇧🇷 Pato’s body couldn’t match the acceleration of his hype. Each story exposes a reality the sport doesn’t like to face: talent is fragile, and football’s understanding development is now one of the most valuable skills in modern football. 📩 For more deep insights into the business, psychology, and strategy of sport, follow The Game Plan newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eP7fw-rE

In sport, meaningful performance insight doesn’t stem from isolated numbers—it comes from understanding that success arises from an interconnected index of influence spanning physical, technical, tactical and contextual domains. In football, for instance, we must avoid interpreting key performance indicators (KPIs) in isolation from how practice is designed or how play unfolds on film. The most effective model is one that integrates designed practice, film-analysis and KPI monitoring into a unified system—revealing not only what happened, but why it happened—thereby linking training inputs to competitive outcomes. One pertinent study by Relationships between physical qualities and key performance indicators during match‑play in senior international rugby union players (Cunningham et al., 2018) demonstrated that individual physical test results (e.g., isometric mid-thigh pull, drop jump, Yo-Yo intermittent recovery) correlated meaningfully with individual match KPIs (e.g., tackles made, number of carries, passes made) in elite rugby union players. While this is a team-sport context, the insight is very much about linking an individual’s physical qualities with that individual’s performance indicators—so it’s directly relevant to how we frame KPI systems for players. The key takeaway: data alone does not define performance—context does. When coaches, analysts and sport-scientists align KPI monitoring with practice design and film review, they convert raw numbers into actionable intelligence that drives individual player development and competitive success. A 4.2 it’s a great KPI, but it doesn’t always equal great at football is also likely from birth lol!

⚽️ Reflections from World Football Summit, Madrid 🇪🇸 Over the past few days, I’ve had the pleasure of attending the most recent World Football Summit 2025 - a gathering of thinkers, leaders, and changemakers reimagining what football can be. So many themes cut through - from capital structure and sustainability to fan engagement, integrity, and innovation. But what stood out most were the tensions and opportunities shaping football’s next era: 💡 The product vs. the purpose; Football remains the same game - yet its meaning constantly evolves. How do we protect the soul of it while pursuing innovation? 💭 Investment and integrity; We can build new models of capital and ownership that honour fans as stakeholders, not just customers. Investment can be value-driven, not extractive. 🌍 Sustainability and fatigue; Player welfare, environmental impact, and long-term audience health are interconnected - football can no longer afford to ignore this ecosystem of care. 🔥 Relevance and reinvention; We “sell” the same product each year - but football’s emotional pull lies in its ability to reinvent meaning, not just marketing. Across it all, one truth echoed: Football moves people. It’s more than a business - it’s a shared language of belonging, emotion, and identity. It was inspiring to hear from so many incredible speakers and connect with people across clubs, brands, federations, and communities who are daring to reimagine football’s global impact - on and off the pitch. #WorldFootballSummit #FootballInnovation #FootballCulture #SportsLeadership #FanEngagement #SustainableFootball #FutureOfFootball

In the constantly evolving landscape of modern football, the journey of young talents is being shaped by multiple stages — from Europe’s top-tier competitions to the emerging global platforms that are redefining visibility, opportunity, and growth. The Champions League: where brilliance meets pressure For decades, the UEFA Champions League has been the ultimate benchmark for elite performance. It’s not only where the world’s best compete — it’s where young players mature faster than anywhere else. Between 2021 and 2024, players like Jude Bellingham (England, Real Madrid), Pedri and Gavi (Spain, Barcelona), or Jamal Musiala (Germany, Bayern Munich) transformed from promising prospects into key figures for their clubs and national teams through consistent Champions League exposure. The competition’s tempo, tactical variety, and psychological demands turn raw potential into reliability. For young athletes, playing at the Bernabéu, the Etihad, or the Allianz Arena isn’t just a dream — it’s a crash course in high-performance leadership. The Conference League: Europe’s developmental laboratory Since its creation in 2021, the UEFA Europa Conference League has become a crucial space for emerging football cultures and young prospects. Clubs like AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands), Fiorentina (Italy), West Ham United (England), or Bodø/Glimt (Norway) have all used it strategically to grow young line-ups and increase European experience. In the 2022–2023 season, AZ’s U-21 talents such as Ernest Poku and Myron van Brederode reached the semi-finals, proving how the competition can accelerate development. For smaller markets or mid-tier clubs, it represents a vital bridge: an environment where 20-year-olds can learn international rhythms before entering the Champions League or even national team setups. The Club World Cup: football’s new global classroom The upcoming expanded FIFA Club World Cup (2025, USA) marks a turning point. With 32 teams from all continents, it will showcase a new generation of players in a truly global context. This competition exposes young players to a variety of styles — South American intensity, African athleticism, European precision, and Asian tactical discipline — offering lessons that no domestic league can provide. The U.S. stage, with its growing infrastructure and football market, adds a new layer of commercial and cultural relevance, turning the event into a potential global showcase for the next wave of talent. Today’s football ecosystem doesn’t offer a single road to the top — it offers multiple pathways, each testing a different dimension of a young player’s growth: Champions League → Pressure, performance, and tactical depth. Conference League → Opportunity, experience, and exposure. Club World Cup → Adaptability, cultural understanding, and global competition. Together, they form an interconnected platform that defines the modern player’s evolution — from raw potential to international recognition.

For decades, football’s power map was dominated by Europe and South America — the traditional homes of passion, talent, and glory. But in recent years, the game’s geography has been redrawn. From Riyadh to Miami, from Tokyo to Doha, new centers of influence are emerging, reshaping how and where the global game grows. In the Middle East, football has become a strategic tool for both development and diplomacy. Nations like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are investing billions in world-class infrastructure, hosting major tournaments, and attracting global stars. These moves are not just about sport — they reflect a broader vision of soft power, diversification, and cultural influence. The Saudi Pro League, for instance, has quickly evolved into a competitive stage capable of attracting top players who once saw Europe as the only destination. Across the United States, the transformation is equally profound. Once considered a “sleeping giant,” the U.S. is now a key player in the sport’s globalization. The success of Major League Soccer, the exponential rise in youth participation, and the hosting of the 2026 World Cup have fueled an unprecedented enthusiasm. American investors now own stakes in major European clubs, while global brands see the U.S. as football’s next commercial frontier. Meanwhile, Asia — particularly nations like Japan, South Korea, and China — continues to expand its football footprint. The focus here is on long-term development: academies, grassroots programs, and domestic league structures designed to foster sustainability rather than quick results. The region’s growing fan base, coupled with its technological and media power, ensures that Asia will play a central role in the sport’s future digital and economic growth. The economic dimension behind these shifts is remarkable. New markets are not only investing in talent and infrastructure but also redefining football’s business model. Broadcasting rights, sponsorships, and digital engagement are now global assets, not confined to traditional strongholds. Data analytics, streaming platforms, and social media have allowed clubs and leagues from non-European regions to reach audiences worldwide, transforming football into a truly transnational entertainment industry. Together, these regions are rewriting football’s global narrative. The game is no longer confined to traditional borders or historic rivalries; it’s now a platform of opportunity, identity, and influence on a global scale. Football’s new geography mirrors the shifting balance of cultural and economic power — a beautiful game, now truly global.