In an age of data, artificial intelligence, scientific preparation and an increasingly complex profession, the way a footballer’s performance is judged has changed too. Numbers and algorithms are playing an ever greater role. Yet in every field, peer review remains the most reliable form of assessment, because it puts the judgement in the hands of people who know the subject inside out. That is why, at the AIC Gran Galà del Calcio, the best players of the season are chosen by their fellow professionals. It is also why, as Umberto Calcagno, President of the Italian Footballers’ Association, says, the award still carries a special value.
President Calcagno, football is relying more and more on data and algorithms. What still makes an award decided by footballers unique?
I think this remains the best way to recognise the player who has had the best season. That is not a criticism of data. It is a valuable tool and has improved so many aspects of football. But who better than a team-mate, and even more so an opponent, to understand a player’s true value? Beyond the statistics and all the tools we have today, it is the players who really know who has been the best in their position and, more generally, who has been the best of all.
You often speak of footballers first and foremost as workers. How much has the profession changed in recent years?
A huge amount. Today’s generation of footballers – and not only those at the very top – have a much stronger sense of their profession than my generation did. Every detail is taken care of now: nutrition, physical preparation, recovery, everything around performance. And you see that evolution in the less visible levels of the game too, not just in Serie A. You see it in the mentality with which young players approach their work and in the attention they pay to their bodies. At the highest level, a player can play as many as 70 matches in a season. Without that kind of care, keeping up those demands would be impossible.
Today’s footballers are increasingly professional, attentive to every detail, but is there still an aspect of their work and daily commitment that tends to be underestimated?
Yes, the sacrifices. People think talent is enough, but it isn’t. Most talented footballers never reach these levels. Those who do have made enormous sacrifices, and they continue to make them every day. We are talking about players between 20 and 35 who play every three days and spend very little time with their families. Many left home at 14, moved away from everything they knew and had to build a life for themselves. Today, with social media, television and the way football is covered, almost none of that is seen. And yet reaching these levels is difficult. Staying there is even harder. That is why I believe that, in football as in scouting, data alone is not enough. A good sporting director wants to know the person too: their character, their personality, the environment they come from. These are things statistics cannot tell you.
Today’s game demands increasingly complete players. Has the way the game is interpreted changed too?
Without a doubt. Players are more complete in every respect now: physically, technically and tactically. Some schools – the Spanish one, for example – have taken that evolution even further, making positions increasingly fluid. I recently watched an Under-19 match between Italy and Spain and, at times, it was difficult even to say what position some of the players were playing. That is a positive thing. It means the game is asking for players who are increasingly versatile and able to adapt to different situations during a match.
Looking ahead, what is the biggest challenge facing Italian football today?
It is difficult to pick just one, because they are all connected. Financial sustainability also depends on developing young players and creating a more dynamic domestic market between Serie A, Serie B and Serie C. At the same time, we need to invest in infrastructure. When people talk about stadiums, they usually mean the big ones, which are important, particularly with Euro 2032 ahead. But we also need pitches and facilities for grassroots football, academies, Serie C, second teams and women’s football. Without the right infrastructure, it is difficult to develop new players and for the whole game to grow.