Many of us dream of being sports stars, playing the game we love, being paid handsomely for it and living a lifestyle which appears to be one of fun, excess and comfort. Not everyone can become a great basketball player like Lebron or Steph Curry, succeed in the NFL like Tom Brady or  even become a great college footballer like Mack Prioleau, most of us have to settle with betting sites like Blue Bet for our sports kicks. Even if you have the natural ability that these great athletes have, that is only half of the battle and you’re going to need a great deal more than ability if you wish to make it to the big leagues.

Let’s take a look at what kind of characteristics footballers possess and how they have managed to use their abilities to find great success.

Hard Work

The measure of your success or failure as a football starts and finishes with hard work, if you are not willing to put in the effort then even with the greatest talent in the World, you will fail. What sets the stars of football apart from the also-rans is their work ethic and not just on the training field. Working hard does not just mean giving your all in games and in training, it is about how you conduct yourself off the field of play too, how committed you are to learning about the game, learning new ways and methods to improve and allowing yourself to be consumed by the desire to play the game.

Health and Fitness

Part of the hard work that you put in also includes the way in which you live your life when it comes to your overall health. Once a player reaches professional levels they have nutritionists, dietitians and fitness coaches to maintain their physique. Until a player reaches the level of playing professional football however they have a responsibility to ensure that they are at the peak of their physical powers. This involves eating right, all of the time, training hard both on and off the field, extra time in the gym and avoiding lifestyle choices which are damaging to their health. Many footballers with talent fall foul of this during their college years where the temptation to party and drink is too much, the best footballers and the ones who end up making it are those who treat their bodies like a temple.

Great Team Work

Even if individually you possess great ability, if you cannot function as a key member of a team then you will never have what it takes to make it big this is true in any sport which requires a great team ethos, specifically rugby. The footballers who have made it can operate well in a team setting, they know how to gain the trust of their teammates and how they can best help them. Football is a team sport and whilst individuals can find success, it will always be off the back of the team’s success. If you want to follow in the footsteps of the great footballers then you need to have a firm understanding of the team dynamic and where you feature within it.