Career

Professional soccer players play soccer for a living. It’s not as simple as that, however. The road to a profession out there on the soccer field is paved with a lifetime of hard work, training, sweat, and pain.

As a professional soccer player, you undergo a few hours of physical training at least five days a week. Running for endurance, weight training, and other exercises render your body capable of withstanding the challenges of the field.

In addition to physical training, you also practice the sport with the rest of your team almost every day of the week. You do skill drills, play mock matches, and discuss new strategies for your upcoming season. Building a strong rapport as a team is vital to ensuring victory. Even before league play starts, you have a chance to strengthen this bond by taking part in exhibition matches and other types of practice events.

The actual season is where your year’s worth of work is put to the test. You spend days or weeks on the road, away from your family, as you visit opposing teams. When it’s your turn to host an opponent, then you’ll be back on your home turf. You need to adjust to changing schedules, changing conditions, and a host of other obstacles if you want to be a professional soccer player.