Executive Functions Predict the Success of Top-Soccer Players

Vestberg, Torbjörn; Gustafson, Roland; Maurex, Liselotte; Ingvar, Martin; Petrović, Predrag · 2012 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034731

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Summary

This study investigates whether general executive functions can predict the success of soccer players, addressing a gap in sports psychology where research has predominantly focused on sport-specific cognitive traits rather than general cognitive abilities. The authors argue that while physical skills are well-understood, the role of general executive functions—such as creativity, response inhibition, and cognitive flexibility—in determining athletic performance remains largely unknown. By utilizing standardized neuropsychological assessments, the study aims to establish if these general cognitive traits correlate with and predict objective measures of soccer success, such as goals and assists. The research employed a two-part design involving 57 male and female soccer players from Swedish leagues. The first part was cross-sectional, comparing High Division (HD) players from the top national league against Lower Division (LD) players from the second and third divisions, as well as a standardized population norm group. The primary assessment tool was the Design Fluency (DF) test from the D-KEFS battery, chosen for its non-verbal nature and focus on online multi-processing, creativity, and inhibition. Additional tests included the Colour-Word Interference (CWI) and Trail Making Test (TMT) to control for verbal aspects and confirm findings. The second part was prospective, tracking 25 male players over two seasons to correlate their initial DF scores with their subsequent number of goals and assists. Statistical analyses included ANOVA, ANCOVA (controlling for age, education, and position), and partial correlation tests. The results demonstrated that both HD and LD players significantly outperformed the general population norm in executive function tests. Crucially, HD players scored significantly higher than LD players on the primary Design Fluency test, a difference that remained significant after controlling for age, education, and playing position. Similar trends were observed in the CWI and TMT, with HD players showing superior performance in tasks requiring high executive demand. In the prospective analysis, a significant positive correlation (r = 0.54, p = 0.006) was found between DF scores obtained in 2007 and the number of goals and assists scored by players between 2008 and 2010. This relationship held true after controlling for player position, division level, and age. The study concludes that general executive functions are critical for soccer success and can serve as predictive indicators for future performance. The findings suggest that elite players possess superior cognitive control mechanisms, such as working memory and inhibition, which allow them to process complex, rapidly changing game situations more effectively than sub-elite players. The authors imply that incorporating neuropsychological assessments of executive functions into talent identification programs could improve the precision of selecting future stars, shifting the focus from purely physical metrics to include cognitive capacity. This work supports the theoretical view that expertise in sport involves general cognitive advantages, not just sport-specific perceptual skills.

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• cognitive capacity variation