5 Things Destroying Your Chances Of Going Pro

Hi FootyFam,

I hope this message has found you well.

It’s a great moment right now. Early summer with both the Euros and Copa playing. It almost makes you forget this is the off-season.

Whether you are in season or not, today we want to share 5 common pitfalls that stop players from achieving their full potential.

Let’s get into it!

Footytutor Upload of the Week

Game on Friday, paper due on Sunday

We forget something about those wonderkids who get called up to the first team before they turn 18.

They haven’t finished high school yet.

Although Lamine Yamal is playing on Spain’s senior national team at the Euros, he doesn’t get to skip his homework.

The 16-year old brought his school work along the trip so he doesn’t fall behind.

Hopefully his teachers throw on a few extra points for cooking in Spain’s first 2 matches.

23 seconds of fame

Albania made some waves in their first-round match vs. Italy.

After qualifying for their second-ever Euros, they set the record for fastest goal recorded at the tournament.

After just 23 seconds, Albania was on the board. Absolutely brilliant assist off the throw in by DiMarco too.

Unfortunately, the fame didn’t last long and the reigning champs came back to take the match 2-1.

Albania did look pretty convincing at some points though, so keep an eye out for them against Spain. If they can pull a win, they still have a chance.

5 Things Destroying Your Chances Of Going Pro

No matter how talented you are, there are five things that will, without a doubt, hold you back from leveling up.

The only way to avoid these pitfalls is to know how to recognize them before you encounter them.

We obviously want to see you level up…

As a footballer and as a human.

So as you read these next few paragraphs, take note if you feel an urge to stop reading or any anger bubbling up.

That might be your ego telling you exactly what you need to work on.

But anyways,

The five things destroying your chances of going pro:

1. Prioritizing flair over function

Scrolling TikTok, it’s easy to get caught up in flashy skill move tutorials and other tricks.

Those are good to have, but they can’t be all that you have. Nailing the basics will ALWAYS be more valuable than having five-star skill moves.

Think of Sergio Busquets and Erling Haaland. Both are considered two of the best in the world, yet they’re not pulling off anything flashy.

Busquets knows exactly where to be to break up passes and is always two steps ahead in Barca’s build-up. Haaland is always in the right spot to finish off City’s attacks.

Neither of them needs to be skill wizards because they’re so functional. Perfect your basics, and your value as a player will skyrocket.

2. Not knowing how to say no

Saying no is a superpower.

Don’t believe me? Say no to distractions for a week, and you’ll realize just how much they were holding you back.

Discipline is key to reaching the next level.

Say no to going out to get a restful night of sleep. Say no to scrolling your phone and study some film instead. Say no to candy and eat some fruit instead.

It’ll show you just how dedicated you are to reaching your goals.

3. Believing not trying is better than failing

This might sound like a contradiction to nailing the basics, but it’s absolutely not.

Risk-taking is essential in football. If you played safe all the time, you wouldn’t make any progress.

Kevin De Bruyne has talked about how he doesn’t care if one of his passes doesn’t connect—especially if the potential is a goal.

He’s learned what he’s truly capable of and knows when to take a gamble on his skills.

Each risk you take, whether it succeeds or fails, teaches you where your limits are and where you need to improve. Don’t shy away from daring shots or creative passes. Embrace risk for growth and improvement.

4. Not willing to take responsibility

It’s easy to point fingers when things aren’t going your way.

But easy won’t get you anywhere—especially when it comes to maturity.

Taking responsibility for your actions, both successes and failures, is crucial. You can’t have a hand in your team’s success without also having a hand in their failure. It’s just not possible.

Even if you had nothing to do with a goal being conceded, there’s probably something you could’ve done that might have prevented it.

And if you just thought, “That’s not true at all,” we’ve pinpointed what you need to work on.

Next time you face a setback, ask yourself what you can learn from it and how you can improve.

5. Can’t see the big picture

Every decision you make today affects tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, and every year after that.

Skipping a training session might seem fine today, but it adds up over time.

It’s really easy to not go for that run today because you didn’t feel like it, but next week when you can’t keep up with the match, you’re doing to wish you did go for that run.

Ditch instant gratification.

You’re not doing the work today because you’re going to see the results today.

You’re getting 1% better today so you can have exponential growth down the line.

Keep your long-term vision clear and make decisions that align with your goals.

For when you’re ready to improve

Build and track processes to level up your life

Until next time,

Footytutor