Choke or Shine? Quantifying Soccer Players' Abilities to Perform Under Mental Pressure
While most existing soccer performance metrics focus on players’ technical and physical performances, they typically ignore the mental pressure under which these performances were delivered. Yet, mental pressure is a recurrent concept in the analysis of players’ or teams’ performances. Hence, this paper takes a first step towards objectively understanding how high-mental pressure situations affect the performances and behavior of soccer players.
We introduce an approach that compares soccer players’ performances across different levels of mental pressure. For each game situation, our approach uses a machine learned model to estimate how much mental pressure the player possessing the ball experiences using a combination of match context features and the current game state. Similarly, our approach uses machine learned models to evaluate three aspects of each action performed by the player: the choice of action, the execution of the chosen action, and the action’s expected contribution to the scoreline.
We demonstrate the ability of our approach to provide actionable insights for soccer clubs in four relevant use cases: player acquisition, training, tactical decisions, and lineups and substitutions. For example, we identify Houssem Aouar and Xherdan Shaqiri as suitable replacements for Leicester City’s former star Riyad Mahrez. We also identify a large number of needless fouls under pressure as a fixable weakness of Orlando City’s striker Dom Dwyer. Since soccer players are often confronted with high-pressure situations, our metric provides insights in the link between pressure and performance that can provide soccer clubs a competitive advantage.
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In the media
Press releases
- KU Leuven: Hoe presteren profvoetballers onder zware mentale druk? / How do professional football players perform under immense pressure?
- Belga: “Cristiano Ronaldo is beter immuun voor druk dan andere topvoetballers” (KU Leuven) / Aguero est plus performant sous pression, Ronaldo égal à lui-même, selon des chercheurs
- EurekAlert: How do professional football players perform under immense pressure?
Newspapers and magazines
- De Morgen: Ronaldo kan het best met druk om (27 Feb 2019)
- KU Leuven Campuskrant: Stresskip of ijskonijn: Wie scoort tussen de oren? (27 Feb 2019)
- Metro: Ronaldo immuun voor druk (27 Feb 2019)
- Il Secolo XIX: Calcio e stress, quante sorprese Bene Quagliarella, male Barreto (8 Mar 2019)
- Neue Zürcher Zeitung: Eine Software ermittelt, welche Fussballer unter Druck einknicken (10 Mar 2019)
- Het Laatste Nieuws: Ronaldo is mentaal beest (14 Mar 2019)
- La Dernière Heure: Les Diables plus relax que jamais vers l'Euro 2020 (11 Jun 2019)
Radio interviews and Podcasts
- VRT Radio 1: Interview met Jan Van Haaren in De Wereld Vandaag (26 Feb 2019)
- NPO Radio 1: Interview met Lotte Bransen in BVSC (28 Feb 2019)
News websites
Belgium (NL)
- VRT: Ronaldo lijkt immuun, Neymar en Eden Hazard iets minder: hoe gaan profvoetballers om met zware mentale druk?
- De Morgen: “Ronaldo kan het best met druk om”
- Het Laatste Nieuws: Cristiano Ronaldo is beter immuun voor druk dan andere topvoetballers
- Sport.be: KU Leuven: ‘Cristiano Ronaldo is beter immuun voor druk dan andere topvoetballers’
- Sport.be: De Bruyne houdt van druk / De Bruyne résiste à la pression
- Voetbalkrant: Studie wijst uit: Ronaldo en De Bruyne presteren het best onder druk, Hazard en Neymar nemen vaker foute beslissing
- BelgiumSoccer.be: Studie wijst uit: Ronaldo en De Bruyne presteren het best onder druk, Hazard en Neymar nemen vaker foute beslissing
- Het Nieuwsblad: KULeuven onderzocht wie van de Rode Duivels het beste met stress om kan: Vincent Kompany topt de lijst
Belgium (FR)
- RTBF: E.Hazard moins concluant sous pression, De Bruyne plus performant, selon des chercheurs
- RTBF: Eden Hazard, le stress lui va si mal…
- RTL: Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard, Neymar, Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero: quel footballeur supporte le mieux la pression?
- La Dernière Heure: Eden Hazard serait moins bon dans ses décisions sous la pression, De Bruyne meilleur
- 7sur7: De Bruyne est plus performant sous pression, Hazard prend de moins bonnes décisions
- Sport/Foot Magazine: Sous pression, comment jouent-ils?
The Netherlands
USA
- The Wall Street Journal: English Soccer's Flying Dutchman
UK
- Daily Mail: Cristiano Ronaldo is ‘oblivious’ to pressure but Neymar seems to choke under stress: Researchers investigate how professional football players perform in crunch games
- GiveMeSport: Cristiano Ronaldo features in new study analysing how footballers cope with pressure
- Business Insider: Research shows that Neymar buckles under the same type of pressure Cristiano Ronaldo thrives on
- The London Economic: Manchester City star “best Premier League player at handling big match pressure” Spurs ace one of worst
Spain
- La Razon: Cómo reaccionan los futbolistas ante la presión
- AS: Cristiano is “immune” to pressure but Neymar buckles, says study / Un estudio dice que Cristiano es inmune a la presión y Neymar no
- Goal.com: Cristiano Ronaldo no siente la presión, al contrario que Neymar
- Besoccer: Cristiano no conoce la presión; Neymar se estresa
- MadridPress: ¿Cómo trabajan los futbolistas profesionales bajo presión?
- Catalunya Press: Investigadors examinen l'esforç intel·lectual dels futbolistes al camp de joc
- Infosalus: ¿Cómo resisten los futbolistas profesionales la presión inmensa de un partido trascendente?
- Teleprensa: Analizan cómo trabajan los futbolistas profesionales bajo una presión inmensa y los resultados de sus decisiones
Italy
- Corriere della Sera: Uno studio dell’Università belga Ku Leuven presentato al Mit promuove Ronaldo: «Non sente la pressione»
- Corriere Dello Sport: Juve, Cristiano Ronaldo è un cyborg anche sotto pressione
- Fanpage.it: Anche la scienza è concorde: Cristiano Ronaldo è il giocatore perfetto
- Tutto Juve: Gli scienziati studiano i campioni: “Il sangue freddo il segreto di CR7”
- Ita Sport Press: Gli scienziati studiano CR7: “È un talento a sangue freddo”
- 90Min: Cristiano Ronaldo studiato dagli scienziati: “Ecco perché è un fenomeno. Neymar invece…”
- Calcio Mercato 24: Juventus, lo dice anche la scienza: Cristiano Ronaldo è il giocatore perfetto
- Meteo Web: Cristiano Ronaldo, il segreto della sua mentalità studiato dalla scienza alla ricerca del calciatore perfetto
- Il Bianco Nero: Gli scienziati studiano CR7: ‘Meglio di Neymar, ecco perché è un fenomeno’
- Agenzia ANSA: Ronaldo campione nel gestire la pressione e mantenere il sangue freddo
- Sport Mediaset: Gli scienziati studiano Ronaldo: “E’ un talento a sangue freddo. Ecco perché è un fenomeno”
- Calcio Web: La reazione dei calciatori ‘sotto pressione’: Ronaldo e Aguero al top, problemi per Neymar e Suarez
- Calcio Mercato: Juve, gli scienziati studiano CR7: è un fenomeno, meglio di Neymar
- ART News: Ronaldo, il portoghese ora è un caso scientifico: spiegato il segreto del suo talento
- Giornale di Sicilia: Ronaldo campione nel gestire la pressione e mantenere il sangue freddo
- Leggo: Ronaldo sa gestire la pressione e mantenere il sangue freddo
France
- SO Foot: Neymar ne supporte pas la pression, selon la science
- Le 10 Sport: Malaise : Neymar fragile face à la pression? Les terribles résultats de cette étude!
- But! Football Club: Cristiano Ronaldo a les nerfs beaucoup plus solides que Neymar, la preuve!
- Onze Mondial: Cristiano Ronaldo ne connaît pas la pression, Neymar oui
- Foot Légende: Une étude risque de déplaire fortement à Neymar
- Foot01: Neymar ou Cristiano Ronaldo, la science dévoile le plus fort!
- RMC Sport: Une étude assure que ronaldo gère parfaitement la pression, contrairement à neymar
Portugal
- A Bola: Estudo belga revela que ronaldo é imune à pressão
- O Jogo: Estudo revela que Ronaldo é imune à pressão
Brazil
- iG Esporte: Estudo aponta CR7 ‘imune’ à pressão durante os jogos e Neymar muito afetado
- Journal O Dia: Cristiano Ronaldo é imune a pressão e Neymar muito afetado
- Goal.com: Estudo diz que Neymar sofre com pressão; CR7 seria “imune”
- 24Horas News: Estudo aponta CR7 ‘imune’ à pressão durante os jogos e Neymar muito afetado
- Torcedores.com: Estudo revela que Cristiano Ronaldo e Neymar possuem reações opostas quando sentem pressão nos jogos; confira
Mexico
Indonesia
- CNN Indonesia: Hasil Studi: Cristiano Ronaldo Kebal Tekanan
- Bola Sport: Hasil Studi: Cristiano ‘Kebal’ Tekanan, Liverpool Rela Bayar Pemain Anti-stres
- Indo Sport: Riset Menunjukkan Cristiano Ronaldo ‘Kebal’ Terhadap Tekanan Mental Saat Pertandingan
- Tribun Jateng: Peneliti: Cristiano Ronaldo Pesepakbola Anti Stres di Lapangan, Ini Pemain yang Mudah Stres
- Portalsatu: Hasil Penelitian: Ronaldo dan Tekanan Sahabat Karib
Kosovo
- Gazeta InFokus: Ronaldo, kampion edhe në gjakftohtësi e nën presion
Vietnam
- Bóng đá: Ronaldo miễn nhiễm áp lực, Neymar thì không
- Lichthidau: Ronaldo miễn nhiễm với mọi áp lực, còn Neymar thì không
- Thethao: Nghiên cứu thú vị giải thích tại sao Ronaldo bùng nổ trước Atletico bằng cú hat-trick
International
- Sportskeeda: Cristiano Ronaldo news: Juventus ace seems to be immune to pressure while Neymar’s performance crumbles under it, claims new research
- Sport Bible: New Study Reveals Cristiano Ronaldo Is “Immune” To In-Game Pressure
Author details
Lotte Bransen
Research Scientist, SciSports (The Netherlands)
l.bransen@scisports.com
Pieter Robberechts
Ph.D. student, KU Leuven (Belgium)
pieter.robberechts@cs.kuleuven.be
Jan Van Haaren
Head of Data & Analytics, SciSports (The Netherlands)
j.vanhaaren@scisports.com
Jesse Davis
Associate Professor, KU Leuven (Belgium)
jesse.davis@cs.kuleuven.be
