Why Travelling and Playing Abroad Is the Best Route for Young Footballers
Something as complex as a footballer’s career cannot be easily discussed. Many footballers and coaches alike have each offered their opinions. I myself am a very big advocate of travelling abroad to play football. The best years for most footballers are from the ages of 20 to 30, but we forget that this is a vital stage in which most young men mature into adults. As footballers, we are therefore wary with our careers and think the clock is ticking for us to make it to the top. We should panic less and instead use football to help us experience the world while we pursue our passion.
We have to remember footballers have a life off of the pitch they have to tend to, even though we seem to forget this. Many promising playing careers have fizzled out due to off-field issues, but nothing has been done to address the cause. We would rather patch up the symptoms in the hope it will put players back on the right track. There is immense pressure on players to be the finished article from 23 onwards, forgetting they only have legal control over their own lives 5 years prior. We hear the age-old notion of young people taking a year away from education to ‘find themselves’, a luxury which footballers cannot afford over the fear of missing out on a season of football. By playing abroad you get to experience what it is like to fend for yourself in a new country, and get a feel of what the world is really like as patterns emerge. Young footballers never fully get the chance to make the transition into men due to societal pressures. It takes 10 years to master a skill according to psychology professor K. Andes Ericsson, meaning a man at 18 wouldn’t have a clue about adult life until he is nearing 28, let alone a young footballer.
The career of a footballer is one of the most competitive industries out there in terms of sheer volume. Trying to get recognised as a footballer often comes down to not what you know, but rather who you know. The younger a footballer gets opportunities the higher the level they are likely to play at. For footballers that aren’t in academies by the age of 21, and even many still in academies, they are told they are never going to make it at a competitive level. This is where playing abroad comes into play as a positive sum game, or win-win scenario. A club wants to bring in a foreign player due to the ambition it signals to their fans, you just have to prove to them you are the right man for the job. Adding success in a foreign country to your resume, in a league which may or may not be easier, is always going to benefit you. Adebayo Akinfenwa, who faced challenges more than most to make it into professional football, started his career in Lithuania. He showed teams he was willing to go anywhere to fulfil his dream and still come out on top regardless of circumstances. Having success at a foreign club will help you in the long run through both the experiences and reputation it brings.
I have tweeted before that a footballer’s career is one of the shortest of any industry. Within a 15 year span many go from their debut to retiring in their 30’s, a time in which many other careers are only just lifting off. Many footballers retire from the game having no measure of what the real world is like, having spent a decade being told what to eat, when to rest and how to live. Having the experience of playing in foreign countries, adapting to different cultures and networking with new people will increase the opportunities you have post-retirement from your playing career.
The next stage is how does a footballer get this opportunity? I wrote an article on 10 Things You Should Be Doing to Make the Next Step Up as a Footballer, which will provide guidance on this subject. Finding a club to play for abroad is the same as looking for any job in the world. They must have a need that outweighs your want in order to recruit you. A club has pressures from the fans and stakeholders who demand success worthy of their hard earned money. You must prove to this team they can fix their problem by recruiting you. The larger the net you cast, the more clubs you will find that have a vacancy for you to fill, or a need for a signing to show intention to their fans. You must use any means that can lead to you achieving this goal, be that a friend of a friend, an old coach or a distant family member. Even if you don’t have any physical relations that can be chased down, the internet has meant that there is a world of people ready and eager to receive opportunities daily.
As with anything, there are barriers to entry you must be aware of. Non-EU citizens trying to play in the EU face visa requirements, and to travel anywhere you must have a valid passport. Proof of experience of playing and video evidence of you doing what you say you can is always preferred. This is not mandatory however, and can be worked around through asking for a trial. Getting citizenship in countries you have the opportunity to do so can open doors, be that through family or length of stay. These are more obscure and often require large amounts of money to be a success though. If a club has a big enough problem that they believe you can solve, they will work closely with you on these areas which is an advantage.
By playing abroad, you give yourself the best possible chance to succeed on and off the pitch. Having the experience of going to a country and being the player everyone wants to help do well will only ever benefit your improvement. Being able to have a benchmark of what clubs do well in different countries will leave you valuing yourself higher, and getting better opportunities. If you can find a club that trains regularly and is looking for a player of your calibre, then you will enjoy a prosperous relationship with the club.
The beauty of this route is the accomplishments you achieve from it. You go from a local side in your home country to playing in front of thousands in a foreign continent. You get the opportunity to compete for titles and cups, and even play in European competition through qualifiers or similar. The off field experiences of seeing new landscapes, cities and people will lead to you having stories to tell of your travels too. The biggest accomplishment will be you can say I have followed a path that no one before me has, which we at CXN promote in being a pioneer.
You may agree yes, I would love to try this career path and I believe it will be hugely beneficial, but how will I settle down after? This is the part that is down to you. Many players’ careers come to their end in their early to mid thirties, which is when other careers are only just starting. You could use your experiences to help you get a well paying job, which you are more likely to get at 30 due to the idea of maturity compared to that of a 20 year-old. The other option is using the greatest resource we have at the moment, the internet. Footballers train once a day and have a lot of spare time on their hands, and using this time is valuable in order to get enough money to thrive. The internet has infinite ways for you to make money, from starting a business to investing, and using your specific knowledge it could see you generate enough wealth to settle down after your career. If you would like to see me expand on this topic, comment below. That is all for today.
