Can Street Footballers Become Pro Players?
Street footballers are tactical masters with the ball at their feet. Witness a world-level street football competition and you’ll be left speechless at the pure skill on display. Street footballers’ command of the ball is superhuman - but does this translate well to the modern 11-a-side game, and does playing on the street help you prepare for a career on the pitch? Here’s the details.
World-famous street footballers who made it pro
Some of the biggest names in the game began on the street, from modern players to legends of the sport.
Riyad Mahrez
Former Manchester City star (now Saudi Pro League) Riyad Mahrez famously stated that his ball control, dexterity and dribbling ability came from his time playing street football as a youngster. When at Man City he said:
“When you have this skill it is easier. It is about technique, control, dribbling and I just learnt this playing street football.”
He also confirmed one of the key things we teach at Street to Stadium: “When you are playing outside on the street with skills, it is much better for you when you play on the big pitch with the bigger players.”
Put in the ground work now, and you will shine when it counts.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo spent his younger years playing street football in Portugal before he was scouted for professional clubs. It was Sporting Lisbon who first noticed his skills on the street and decided to take their chance on him.
On the pitch, Ronaldo is known for his blistering 1v1 attacks and finishing ability. But when he finds time away from the professional game, we sometimes get a glimpse of Ronaldo putting his creative street football style on display purely for the love of skill and technique. This footage, nearly 10 years on, is still awesome to watch.
Pelé
How could we leave this undeniable legend off the list? Not everyone knows that Pelé specifically credits street futsal, or ‘futebol de saláo’ in Portuguese, for helping him develop the early skills needed to set him on course to become the most famous player of all time.
Street Football didn’t just give Pele superhuman ball control from his early days. It allowed him to play against adults as a youngster, which meant he thrived when beginning to play pro against his own age group.
The advantage of street football skills in modern football
There are numerous elements of street football which translate exceptionally well to the modern 11-a-side game. We explore a few of them below. For specific skills and techniques, learn from world champion street footballer Jack Downer AKA ‘Street Panna’ in our 1v1 Mastery course.
Ball control
As we explore in our courses, your touch is everything - expecially if you are an attacking player. One of the things that separates pro players from the rest is the predictability with which they command the ball. It’s often why people say the best players look like they have the ball ‘glued to their foot’.
Street football has a built-in culture of elite ball control, because of 3 main reasons:
- There’s a need to constantly use your touch to move the ball at pace and keep it away from your opponent.
- The ball is often smaller in street football, making accurate ball control even more essential.
- Street football incorporates individual skills including juggling and Kick-Ups as well as gameplay, which often involve incredibly high standards of control. See our in-depth article on Kick-Ups for more insight on this.
Tactical thinking
Street footballers do not just hope for the best when they play. They are thinking 2, 3, even 4 moves ahead on their path to the finishing sequence. This sets them apart from the vast majority of players who want to make it pro, but don’t have the tactics or the composure required. As elite players, we want to move past being purely ‘reactive’ (where we are frantically reacting to every obstacle in front of us with no plan) to a tactical level of play, where we know what sequence to execute and can nail it every time. However, this takes years of practice - and street footballers often put this groundwork in from a young age.
Pace
Street football happens at an incredible pace. It helps prepare players for the elite speed at which the modern game is played. One of the most common things average players say when they try playing with pros is “I just couldn’t keep up”. Stamina and fitness plays a part here, but it’s also about the speed at which certain players can make decisions and act on them. At the elite level, speed of thought can be just as essential as speed of movement.
What is Street to Stadium?
Street to Stadium is the official online course academy built by world champion Street Footballer and pro football coach Jack Downer AKA ‘Street Panna’. At the academy, you’ll have access to the same tips and techniques that Jack teaches pro players during his 1-on-1 sessions. Our goal is to help create pro players every single day, through focused learning and a supportive community which grows every week.
To receive free lessons straight to your inbox and try the academy for yourself, hit this link and we’ll see you there.
