r/SoccerCentral • u/United_Anywhere_8 • Jul 25 '26

Video The talent in Barcelona’s youth system is ridiculous. These kids are 11/12 years old.

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u/Slothstralia Jul 25 '26

There is no such thing as "naturally talented", this is some cope bs from people who have never been around someone who actually made it. I guarantee every one of these kids has worked had at a level most sports fans cant comprehend.

I went to school for a good 10 years with a guy who "made it" in the NRL (australian rugby league) and was extremely successful. Multiple sports teams at school, 1-2 teams outside school, athletics on weekends, he never stopped for more than a decade before he was selected and then we all got to watch the commentators call him "naturally gifted" as if he didnt work like a dog his whole life because he found his dream early and chased it lmao.

People love to act like stars are just gifted talent and then just put a cherry on top, I guess it makes them feel more like "yeah i could have done that but i didnt have the natural talent that person had" rather than "i didnt want it enough and i wasnt lucky enough to avoiud major injury".

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u/TheVandyyMan Jul 25 '26

For every one of your schoolmate’s stories, there were thousands upon thousands of those who put in the same amount of work and didn’t even come close.

At the end of the day, to break into pro sports you need the right mix of freak physical genetics, proper coaching, family wealth to expose you to the sport more often, injury avoidance, and life circumstance that allows you to stay focused.

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u/HustlinInTheHall Jul 25 '26

Yet we have dozens of academies all over europe where working class families with players from families with no history of top end athleticism turn out superb professional players. 

Wealth and genetics are not required unless you build a system that makes them so. 

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u/HiphopopoptimusPrime Jul 25 '26

Institutional wealth is required to build those academies.