The professional careers of former Portuguese football players: a sociodemographic and professional approach

Introduction: The study is aimed to identify sociodemographic and professional characteristics related to the careers of former Portuguese football players. Methodology: The sample consisted of 84 Portuguese former players (48.8 ± 8.2 years old) with at least 8 years of professional experience, w...

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Main Authors: Eduardo Teixeira, Carlos Silva, Félix Romero, Mauro Miguel, António Vicente
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: FEADEF 2025-07-01
Series:Retos: Nuevas Tendencias en Educación Física, Deportes y Recreación
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Online Access:https://www.revistaretos.org/index.php/retos/article/view/109791
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Summary:Introduction: The study is aimed to identify sociodemographic and professional characteristics related to the careers of former Portuguese football players. Methodology: The sample consisted of 84 Portuguese former players (48.8 ± 8.2 years old) with at least 8 years of professional experience, who finished their careers between 1988 and 2018. Quantitative data was collected from a validated semi-structure interview guide. Results and Discussion: Former Portuguese players had a career of 15.2 ± 3.1 years with more 6.4 ± 2.2 years of youth federated formation. Significant statistical differences were seen between former players with different competitive levels (t(71)=3.843; p=0.001) and international status (t(82)=-2.740; p=0.008). During their careers, 36% accomplish academic formation and 61.9% pursued technical education. Academic habilitation was statistically significant relationships with competitive level (χ2(1)=9.655; ρ=0.002) and international status (χ2(1)=6.930; ρ=0.008), unlike what happened with technical qualification (p>0.05). The majority of former players marry (83.3%) and have children during the career (82.2%). The divorce rate is 15%. Residential mobility is high (8.1 ± 5.55 years). The professional incomes were considered high or very high and 16.7% of former players developed addictions during their career. Conclusion: Former players with higher competitive levels and international status tend to have longer careers. Conversely, they tend to invest less in academic formation. The results reveals that the football career is brief and presents stress and risk factors, mainly at higher competitive levels. The findings contribute to a better understanding and discussion of the professional careers of former Portuguese football players.
ISSN:1579-1726
1988-2041