The benefits of playing among the best

 By Saoud Moussa Baccus

The Saudi national team and the Qatar national team have something in common. Their World Cup squad was made up entirely of home-grown players. No one played outside of their country. How significant is that?

Let’s look at the table below. I am using two teams, France and Morocco, the first for its transformative success in the last seven World Cups, the latter for what it accomplished in the last World Cup.

 

 

Twelve Morocco players and nineteen French players played for the top four European leagues (England, Spain, Italy and Germany).

Playing in the top leagues means that you are playing among the best and toughest players. It’s not pick-up football in a park on a Sunday. Competition is ferocious and you need to be constantly playing top-notch football to be a first-choice player.

There is also the all-too-important psychological factor. Gone is the inferior complex hitherto felt by many players who didn’t play in Europe. The fear once felt is replaced by a feeling of equality in skills and talent. Everything else being equal, the psychologically-fittest will win the game.

In contrast, England has only one player playing in the German league! The rest all play in the English league. When was the last time they won any major trophy?

Of course, there are teams that play exceptionally well at the international level with mostly home-grown players but their winning a major trophy is becoming more of an exception lately. The trend points to players with exposure abroad. The 2022 World Cup winner would certainly prove that point. Below is where Argentina’s winning players play their football.

 

Country	Number of Argentina national team players
Argentina	1
England	5
France	2
Germany	1
Italy	4
Portugal	2
Spain	10
USA	1

 

Does it then appear that the recipe for success at the international level is the development of young talents at home in a football academy before they are sent to further develop their physical skills and mental toughness in Europe’s top leagues? It sure seems like it.

Saudi Arabia should get it right from the outset. It will save herself precious time and resources. Success internationally will come sooner if it follows the tried and tested.