{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T22:31:54Z","timestamp":1777415514387,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,27]],"date-time":"2024-08-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1724716800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"startup Football Connection","award":["Marca N 4.073.379"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Marca N 4.073.379"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Applied Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the physical capabilities of young soccer players and their performance in game-related variables as assessed through the Nomination Scale for Identifying Football Talent (NSIFT) questionnaire. A total of 80 young soccer players, with an average age of 10.70 \u00b1 1.02 years, participated in the research. Each player underwent a comprehensive assessment session that included the 5-0-5 Change of Direction (COD) test, the Illinois Agility Test, and the Countermovement Jump (CMJ) test. These assessments were selected to evaluate critical physical attributes essential for soccer performance such as agility, explosive strength, and the ability to change direction rapidly. To analyze the data, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), a statistical technique that reduces the dimensionality of large datasets while retaining as much variance as possible, was employed. The PCA results indicated strong sample validity as confirmed by the Kaiser\u2013Meyer\u2013Olkin (KMO) measurement index, which assesses the adequacy of the sample size for factor analysis. The analysis revealed two principal components: development and disposition, which together accounted for 73% of the total variance in the data. The development component encompasses various physical attributes that contribute to a player\u2019s growth and improvement, including strength, speed, and agility. Conversely, the disposition component reflects innate qualities and cognitive skills that predispose players to excel in soccer such as decision making and game awareness. This research highlights the importance of incorporating physical assessments into talent identification processes, providing objective measures that complement subjective evaluations. This study contributed to the literature on talent identification in soccer, emphasizing the need for a multidisciplinary approach to nurture young athletes effectively. Future research should continue to explore the interplay between physical and cognitive skills in soccer to enhance player development and success in competitive environments.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/app14177569","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,27]],"date-time":"2024-08-27T06:19:01Z","timestamp":1724739541000},"page":"7569","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Principal Component Approach and Relationship between Nomination Scale for Identification of Football Talent and Physical Fitness in Young Soccer Players"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3514-439X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Santiago","family":"Castro-Infantes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Sport and Health Research Institute (iMUDS), 18007 Granada, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0213-5844","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"V\u00edctor M.","family":"Soto Hermoso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sport and Health Research Institute (iMUDS), 18007 Granada, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9840-3515","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ricardo","family":"Mart\u00edn-Moya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9813-2842","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Filipe","family":"Manuel Clemente","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escola Superior de Desporto e Lazer, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Viana do Castelo, Rua Escola Industrial e Comercial de Nun\u2019\u00c1lvares, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal"},{"name":"Sport Physical Activity and Health Research & Innovation Center, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal"},{"name":"Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, 80-336 Gdansk, Poland"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8681-0642","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hugo","family":"Sarmento","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Unit for Sport and Physical Activity, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, University of Coimbra, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2723-8970","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alfonso","family":"Castillo-Rodr\u00edguez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Didactics of Languages, Arts and Sport, Universidad de M\u00e1laga, Andaluc\u00eda-Tech, IBIMA, 29010 M\u00e1laga, Spain"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1480-7521","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francisco Tom\u00e1s","family":"Gonz\u00e1lez-Fern\u00e1ndez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"1","article-title":"Game Insight Skills as a Predictor of Talent for Youth Soccer Players","volume":"2","author":"Tebbes","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front. 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