Every so often I'm going to whack in my or someone elses opinion so we can spark a debate, this is my opinion, a nice little one to get the ball rolling.

Football is 95% Mental Strength and 5% Physical Strength.

If that was the case, then Zidane would still be the best player in the world and we'd still be waiting for Messi, Ronaldo and Rooney to come into their own.

It's a young man's sport, and that suggests legs which suggests it's mostly physical.

Of course there is a limit to your physical condition, obviously Pele can't join up to the Premier League now. How many times do you play football in a match and keep going even when theres no fuel left? Loads of times.

Which becomes harder as you get older, even though as you get older, you get smarter. The best player in the world at almost any given time is usually between the ages of 22 and 27. Once a player hits 30, the countdown on his shelf life begins, even though he's probably at his most intelligent at that point. So I would say it's more like 70% physical, 30% mental.

Also, you can be a genius, but if you move like a fat 40 year old, it doesn't mean shit. At the same time, you can be a retard but if you have blazing speed, most teams will find somewhere to put you.

I somewhat agree with this as you can have an amazing pair of legs but you need to know how to use them. Ledley King has the shittest pair of legs known to man yet knows how to use them and is one great defender.

coolhead33 wrote:I somewhat agree with this as you can have an amazing pair of legs but you need to know how to use them. Ledley King has the shittest pair of legs known to man yet knows how to use them and is one great defender.

He plays like one game per month. In fact, Ledley King is probably the best example of what I'm talking about. He's nearly useless. Great when he plays, but he needs like three weeks to recover from each game. Thus, how much good is all that savvy really doing him and his team?

menalawyerguy wrote:

coolhead33 wrote:I somewhat agree with this as you can have an amazing pair of legs but you need to know how to use them. Ledley King has the shittest pair of legs known to man yet knows how to use them and is one great defender.

He plays like one game per month. In fact, Ledley King is probably the best example of what I'm talking about. He's nearly useless. Great when he plays, but he needs like three weeks to recover from each game. Thus, how much good is all that savvy really doing him and his team?

Don't exaggerate.

Still proves my point though. If Walcott had those legs he'd be the worst footballer ever as he has no footballing brain.

coolhead33 wrote:

menalawyerguy wrote:

coolhead33 wrote:I somewhat agree with this as you can have an amazing pair of legs but you need to know how to use them. Ledley King has the shittest pair of legs known to man yet knows how to use them and is one great defender.

He plays like one game per month. In fact, Ledley King is probably the best example of what I'm talking about. He's nearly useless. Great when he plays, but he needs like three weeks to recover from each game. Thus, how much good is all that savvy really doing him and his team?

Don't exaggerate.

Still proves my point though. If Walcott had those legs he'd be the worst footballer ever as he has no footballing brain.

Yes, but if King had Walcott's legs, he'd be Ballon d'Or every year. In fact, Walcott proves my point as well. Retard brain, blazing speed. Result: highly valued asset. It's all about speed, quickness, and fitness.

btw, in what way am I exaggerating?

menalawyerguy wrote:

coolhead33 wrote:

menalawyerguy wrote:

coolhead33 wrote:I somewhat agree with this as you can have an amazing pair of legs but you need to know how to use them. Ledley King has the shittest pair of legs known to man yet knows how to use them and is one great defender.

He plays like one game per month. In fact, Ledley King is probably the best example of what I'm talking about. He's nearly useless. Great when he plays, but he needs like three weeks to recover from each game. Thus, how much good is all that savvy really doing him and his team?

Don't exaggerate.

Still proves my point though. If Walcott had those legs he'd be the worst footballer ever as he has no footballing brain.

Yes, but if King had Walcott's legs, he'd be Ballon d'Or every year. In fact, Walcott proves my point as well. Retard brain, blazing speed. Result: highly valued asset. It's all about speed, quickness, and fitness.

btw, in what way am I exaggerating?

It's not about speed though. I know Bale is showing speed does have a huge impact right now against Inter but you just can't win games with just speed.

You exaggerated King playing one game a month.

coolhead33 wrote:

menalawyerguy wrote:

coolhead33 wrote:

menalawyerguy wrote:

coolhead33 wrote:I somewhat agree with this as you can have an amazing pair of legs but you need to know how to use them. Ledley King has the shittest pair of legs known to man yet knows how to use them and is one great defender.

He plays like one game per month. In fact, Ledley King is probably the best example of what I'm talking about. He's nearly useless. Great when he plays, but he needs like three weeks to recover from each game. Thus, how much good is all that savvy really doing him and his team?

Don't exaggerate.

Still proves my point though. If Walcott had those legs he'd be the worst footballer ever as he has no footballing brain.

Yes, but if King had Walcott's legs, he'd be Ballon d'Or every year. In fact, Walcott proves my point as well. Retard brain, blazing speed. Result: highly valued asset. It's all about speed, quickness, and fitness.

btw, in what way am I exaggerating?

It's not about speed though. I know Bale is showing speed does have a huge impact right now against Inter but you just can't win games with just speed.

You exaggerated King playing one game a month.

I know it's not just about speed. But my point is that success in this game is about 70% physical. Players like King and Walcott prove that.

And I'm not exaggerating all that much on King. He's played 6.5 games this season thus fat. Barely 2 games per month. You get the point.

menalawyerguy wrote:Which becomes harder as you get older, even though as you get older, you get smarter. The best player in the world at almost any given time is usually between the ages of 22 and 27. Once a player hits 30, the countdown on his shelf life begins, even though he's probably at his most intelligent at that point. So I would say it's more like 70% physical, 30% mental.

Disagree.

Best players are when their physical game hasn't left them yet, and their mental game starts to become better, 27-32 year olds mostly. 32 being debatable and depending on players. Drogba for example is rather old but his physical game hasn't diminished yet.

(polskaGOLA) wrote:

menalawyerguy wrote:Which becomes harder as you get older, even though as you get older, you get smarter. The best player in the world at almost any given time is usually between the ages of 22 and 27. Once a player hits 30, the countdown on his shelf life begins, even though he's probably at his most intelligent at that point. So I would say it's more like 70% physical, 30% mental.

Disagree.

Best players are when their physical game hasn't left them yet, and their mental game starts to become better, 27-32 year olds mostly. 32 being debatable and depending on players. Drogba for example is rather old but his physical game hasn't diminished yet.

We just degree on a matter of degree. My main point hasn't been refuted, which is that this is a game mostly dependent on physical ability. Physical ability separates the top 1% from the bottom 99%. Mental ability separates the top 0.1% from the rest. But you have to have the physical ability to get you in that top 1% to begin with.


This isn't golf.

Oh no, I generally agree with your post.

It's about 70-30 in favor of physicality.

Although in the EPL I think it's more like 80-20, and in Serie A it's more 60-40.

You have a good point (OP) but I wouldn't say 95%, maybe 75.

It's probably best not to debate mental/skill ratio in terms of numbers, I mean, you just can't quantify these things

Football is completely facking mental mate.

I lurve it!

Ryan wrote:Football is completely facking mental mate.

I lurve it!

Completely? Then how come there aren't more fat shits playing at the highest levels? How come every single professional footballer has like 3% body fat?

80% Physical in EPl
75% Physical in la liga
2% Physical in Serie A

75% retardation in MLS

menalawyerguy wrote:

Ryan wrote:Football is completely facking mental mate.

I lurve it!

Completely? Then how come there aren't more fat shits playing at the highest levels? How come every single professional footballer has like 3% body fat?

In England, if you say something is mental it can mean it's awesome.

Oh ok.

That's mentally retarded

My opinion on that is, what a load of shit.

It's important but you have more chance of making it as a footballer if you have ability and no brain, rather than the other way around.

If you have a good mental ability and amazing football brain, but can't produce it, then what?

If you're not fit you won't be a good footballer.

I've been playing football for a long time and it doesn't matter if you're Einstein or not...you've got to be very fit to be good!

Tbh I'd say more like 75% physical 25% mental.

I remember hearing stories about an ex-Liverpool player who was rather fat. He apparantly wouldn't move around the pitch, but you gave the ball to him and he would just ping passes left right and centre.

Different time and everything.

Just throwing it out there.

Yeah players used to have beer guts in the past

Ryan wrote:I remember hearing stories about an ex-Liverpool player who was rather fat. He apparantly wouldn't move around the pitch, but you gave the ball to him and he would just ping passes left right and centre.

Different time and everything.

Just throwing it out there.

It takes mental ability to spot a pass, but to actually pull it off you need to have good technique.

kyro7 wrote:It takes mental ability to spot a pass, but to actually pull it off you need to have good technique.

I'd say good technique is more a mental attribute than a physical attribute

Luxz0rz wrote:

kyro7 wrote:It takes mental ability to spot a pass, but to actually pull it off you need to have good technique.

I'd say good technique is more a mental attribute than a physical attribute

So Scholes playing the ball 40 yards right onto Nani's big toe is mental?