Become a Professional Soccer Player in Europe

Most soccer players want to become a professional soccer player in Europe.  They dream of playing in one of the top European leagues.  Players who play in these soccer powerhouse countries like the UK, Spain, Italy make more money.  They receive more glory.  These players are MUCH more likely to be considered for a National side.   Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to break into these top leagues as a non-EU player.

Many athletes are not scouted at an early age.  This does not always mean they won’t be able to play professionally as they are older.  Some of these players opt to play in one of the less known leagues with the hopes of working their way up.  For example, you can start in Slovenia, Turkey, Poland or Bulgaria and work your way up.

Every league in Europe, has overseas nationals playing.  This is very different than years past.  Players who may not have been discovered early should look for opportunities with clubs in smaller countries.

Benefits of Playing for Smaller European Country

Firstly, there is less competition than among the larger countries like Spain, Germany or the UK.  Secondly, many people do not think about starting their soccer career in a smaller country.  Players in smaller countries are more likely to get regular first team football.  If they are good enough, they may be picked up by one of the top teams in that country.

Because they will still be playing in top leagues for countries, they will be playing against the better known and larger clubs.   Network scouts who attend games will see them play.

These smaller teams may not get very far in the group stages of a competition.  However they will still provide exposure to the players on the team.  Top scouts tend to watch these games from the initial rounds as they progress onwards.   Furthermore, these smaller clubs still get paired against the giants.

West Ham United is an Example

West Ham United is one example of a top club signing an unknown player.   They signed midfielder Tomas Soucek from Slavia Prague, in January of 2020.  They was incredibly impressed by him.   West Ham went back to Prague nine months later and signed defender Vladimir Coufal.

Soucek and Coufal helped West Ham  finish sixth in the league last season and qualify for the Europa League.  This season, they are in the Champions League places.

Stay tuned, GoSoccerPro is in talks with some well known European companies.  We are exploring opportunities for alternative pathways to top level soccer.  Our goal is to create a pathway for top youth soccer players to train abroad or play professionally.

We will be helping young players join some of these smaller European teams.  Athletes who perform well, will have opportunities to ultimately play in the top leagues.

We understand the dream of wanting to become a professional soccer player and are doing all we can to help players achieve this goal.