Footedness in male international football: Its association with selection and progression

Abstract

Previous research has found an overrepresentation of left-sided athletes in team sports, where technical and tactical advantages may arise when players occupy specific portions of the field or court based on their laterality (the preferential use of one side of the body over the other). This study focussed on football and aimed to (i) examine the association between footedness, international selection likelihood, and positions by exploring the foot preference of 7507 male players selected for their respective national youth (U17, U19, and U21) and senior teams (England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain), and (ii) analyse whether laterality interacts with players likelihood of progressing through the national pathway. Chi-square goodness-of-fit tests revealed an overrepresentation of left-footed players at the youth (>27%) and senior levels (26.5%) (p-values