Left-footed players and their capabilities

[Metz]

Left-hand and Left-foot use apply the same way when it comes to brain function. The right side of the brain is more often used naturally when you are naturally left sided with a limb.

If we take a look at left-footed players, we have Messi, Maradona, Robben, Bale, Ozil, Sturridge, van Persie. What do these player's have in common (especially the first couple of names)? They have good first touch, ball control, and dribbling. They easily go through channels and through opponents. Why is this? Because their sense of spatial awareness as well as risk taking, creativity, and imagination is more developed. If Messi were left-footed he wouldn't be the same player he is and you could argue that Cristiano Ronaldo and Ribery had to train harder than Bale and Robben to get to where they were because the latter two have a more naturally sense of spatial awareness which has to do with several technical aspects as well as mental.

Then look at the top goalkeepers right now. We have Casillas, Cech, Courtois, and Lloris. They are left-footed, and they also happen to be top shot stoppers because they are good at reading the ball trajectory and positioning themselves accordingly. This has to do with spatial awareness.

Look at Jan Vertonghen and Mamadou Sakho for instance. The happen to be CB's who are good on the ball and can get out of tight situations with ball control. They are both left-footed.

In a way this can explain why there is a strong lack of good leftbacks in football. Right now the top leftbacks at the moment are Alaba and Alba. Alaba started his career as a left midfielder and then van Gaal moved him back to leftback due to injuries in the squad. Alba was originally a left winger in Valencia. As young left-footed players develop, it is more efficient to have them as midfielders than leftbacks because they possess qualities that are more useful for midfielders (spatial awareness, creativity, imagination, risk-taking). This is probably why Bale and Nagatomo were eventually moved up to the midfielder and why Zanetti eventually started to be used as a CDM (alongside Cambiasso who is also a left-footed player).

So I believe to take FM to another more realistic level this physiological aspect of human behavior should be taken into account. Perhaps left footed player's should have a hidden boost in things like ball control, technique, creativity, and dribbling. Perhaps in other stuff as well.

Opinions?

 

[weekeebz]

Rubbish in my opinion, bale isn't really talented, he's more of a pure athlete!

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[awalker14]

I like your thinking i must say but they would end up overshooting this into the game and youll end up with a team of left footers

 

[Dynamo_ZahnZee]

Footedness correlates to handedness closely for right-handers, over 90% of whom are also right-footers; right-footedness hence predominates in the general population. Only about half of the left-handers, however, are left-footed.

I.e. roughly 50% of left handed people use their right foot so you can't make an statements over which foot is better when there is a 50/50 split between left-handed people.

10% of right handed players favor their left foot. I was one of those (favored my right hand and left foot) and I found it quite confusing.

 

[Dynamo_ZahnZee]

Also, Players who favor their Right Foot

• Christiano Ronaldo
• Luis Suarez
• Edison Cavani
• Wayne Rooney
• Andres Iniesta
• Isco
• Marek Hamsik
• Diego Costa
• Gerard Pique
• Mario Gotze
• Sergio Busquets
• Sergio Ramos
• Oscar
• Yaya Toure

I think you get the picture. So no, I don't think being left footed offered any kind of psycological or physiological advantage.

 

[kandersson]

Nagatomo is a natural right footed despite playing mostly on the left.

 

[Metz]

Also, Players who favor their Right Foot

• Christiano Ronaldo
• Luis Suarez
• Edison Cavani
• Wayne Rooney
• Andres Iniesta
• Isco
• Marek Hamsik
• Diego Costa
• Gerard Pique
• Mario Gotze
• Sergio Busquets
• Sergio Ramos
• Oscar
• Yaya Toure

I think you get the picture. So no, I don't think being left footed offered any kind of psycological or physiological advantage.

It does. It is a proven study.. Just because a player is right-footed doesn't mean he can't be good. It just happens that left-footed/handed people use more the right side of their brain which has traits that can be beneficial in football. Most people are right-footed anyways.

 

[Metz]

I.e. roughly 50% of left handed people use their right foot so you can't make an statements over which foot is better when there is a 50/50 split between left-handed people.

10% of right handed players favor their left foot. I was one of those (favored my right hand and left foot) and I found it quite confusing.

Still using a left limb (either hand or foot) taps in more to the right side of your brain than someone who is right footed and right handed.


The most creative artists in history were also left-handed: Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, and Raphael.

 

[iFortunatus]

I'm left handing and right footed, cant kick a ball for **** though

 

[silversurfie]

I knew a kid from karate class that was right hand dominant but favored his left foot. Why? Because he couldnt balance worth **** kicking with his right foot so his 'kicking' foot was his left.

 

[weekeebz]

Agree with pez. Sakho looked terrible on the ball, any kind of pressure on he panics and gives the ball away.

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[Metz]

In my opinion Sakho is useless with the ball at his feet. I thought he was Liverpool's main reason why they didn't win the league, he doesn't look comfortable playing the ball out of danger.

Even though I like your thinking there is one huge flaw..

.. Stewart Downing.

Of course not every left footed player is going to be world class. Watch Luke Shaw and Adnan Januzaj in the future though. Shaw may end up like Bale and get pushed up to the midfield eventually.