Top 10 Steps to Becoming A Professional Soccer Player

As a once professional footballer until an untimely injury that involved broken bones and damaged ligaments, I give you my top 10 musts to becoming a professional footballer, or as you Americans say it, soccer player.

If you have any queries or questions, please don't hesitate to get in contact with me.

For advice on becoming a pro, send me a private message.

Next week, I'll be doing a rundown of what diet a pro athlete has.

Rule Number One: Motivation

My number one rule in becoming a professional footballer is motivation. Without it you're not going to get anywhere.

"When the going gets tough, you have to get going." I think that's the saying.

When I had my foot and knee injuries, I pretty much gave up on a life long dream of becoming a professional footballer. I had the talent and skill to make it to the top, but the injuries I sustained were enough to put me off the idea of becoming a pro athlete.

So I pretty much failed at the first hurdle, lack of motivation!

Make sure you stick to your goals, even if that means you have to give up on a few things you love because the end result is worth it. Trust me!

Rule Number Two: Dedication

My number two rule is dedication.

Dedication to yourself. Dedication to your team. Dedication to the player and person you want to be.

This is a massive requirement for any professional athlete and one that must be adhered to consistently.

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon showed both loyalty and dedication to his team when Juve were relegated to Series B after the Calciopoli scandal. Although Buffon was offered salaries with the world's best clubs including Manchester United, he opted to stay with Juve.

Rule Number Three: Aspiration

My number three rule is all about aspiring to be the player and person you want to be.

Set your goals and aspire to be the best there is. If you don't aim high, then you won't get to the place you want to be in 10 years time.

Remember to be realistic. There's no point aiming to become a premiership footballer in six months when you haven't even started training yet.

Rule Number Four: Professionalism

Being a professional doesn't mean becoming an arrogant jock that can do what he wants, when he wants.

It means being an ambassador of the game and setting an example to the rest of the world and children who look up to you.

Look at Ryan Giggs as an example of perfect professionalism, having never been sent off for Manchester United.

Rule Number Five: Teamwork

I'm sure everyone's heard the age old cliche of, "There's no I in team." It may well be a cliche, but it is so very true.

After winning the FIFA Club World Cup, Barcelona star Lionel Messi in a recent interview with World Governing Body FIFA said, "It’s nice to get that recognition of course, but it’s something I want to share with my team-mates. I couldn’t have won an award like this without them."

Whether you win or lose, you do so as a team. If you work hard, your team mates will respond. If you're lazy and lackluster, you won't get anything out of them.

Rule Number Six: Continuous Development

The way the game is played is differently all over the world.

In Italy, they play a defensive and tactical game. In England, they play a quick and aggressive game. In Spain, they play an attacking game.

The key is to become adaptive to each style and play each style your own way, and in doing so continuously develop as a player.

However, continuously developing as a player isn't the only development you must enforce. Developing as a person bares huge precedence too.

Cristiano Ronaldo may not be everyone's cup of tea, but few can argue of his development as player throughout his short career thus far.

Rule Number Seven: Training

Training is one of the most important aspects in becoming a fit and successful footballer.

For each training session, I was first in, last out. It wasn't a matter of brownnosing, but impressing the coaching staff and manager that I was eager and fit to start every game.

If you train hard every training session, you will be given a chance to shine. What you do with that opportunity is up to you.

Rule Number Eight: Health

This is one my most important steps.

If you smoke, QUIT! If you binge drink, QUIT! Drugs, QUIT!

Conditioning your body is a major aspect of becoming a pro athlete. If you don't sleep well and eat well, then you can't play well.

Eat healthy. It's a must. Make sure you eat plenty of carbs and energy food before game day and training.

Conditioning your body is a major part of professional football. Footballers are now fitter than they've ever been, not to mention they are stronger and taller.

Rule Number Nine: Standing out from the crowd

When scouts come to games, they look for magic, that bit of inspiration.

One of the ways that can help you become noticed more easily is by wearing a noticeable boot colour such as bright orange.

However, 99 times out of 100 that won't do the trick.

What scouts really look for is ability. Ability to change the game, ability to adapt to different requirements, ability to dictate a game.

All throughout my rules are helpful hints to help maximise your potential. If you take each step seriously, then there is no reason why you can't become that standout player.

Rule Number 10: Getting an Agent

If you're still finding it hard to get noticed, then it may be of use to you hiring a sports agent.

As a part time-sports agent myself, I have clients that are trying to do all they can but aren't getting noticed, but having the right contacts is everything.
As they say in the business world, "It's not what you know, but who you know."

Make sure you employ someone who is trustworthy and won't rip you off and of course knows about the sport you're involved in.