{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,16]],"date-time":"2026-03-16T18:53:46Z","timestamp":1773687226127,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":123,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,5]],"date-time":"2025-12-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764892800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sports"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Despite many young players showing strong potential, only a small fraction succeeds in the critical transition from youth to elite senior football. This scoping review synthesizes research on the junior-to-senior transition in men\u2019s football, identifying main topics related with barriers and facilitators in the transition. Methods: Searches were performed in four databases (PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science) according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA, 2020) guidelines, using the following keywords: \u201cfootball*\u201d OR football AND talent* OR \u201ctalent identification\u201d OR \u201ctalent development\u201d OR expert* OR gift* AND \u201cjunior-to-senior\u201d OR \u201ctransition career\u201d or \u201cathlete career transition\u201d OR \u201ctransition phase\u201d. Original articles in English focused on the junior-to-senior process in male footballers were included. Results: From 5307 titles, 35 studies met eligibility criteria. The most examined themes were psychosocial factors, including social support, stressors, and resilience. The reviewed studies identified organizational structure and effective club communication as facilitators and emphasized the importance of physical attributes to meet senior-level demands. Conclusions: Overall, the junior-to-senior transition is multifaceted, shaped by psychosocial, organizational, and physical factors. Despite robust research, gaps remain; future longitudinal and interdisciplinary studies should inform evidence-based strategies for optimizing player development and retention.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/sports13120440","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,5]],"date-time":"2025-12-05T13:17:07Z","timestamp":1764940627000},"page":"440","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Barriers and Facilitators in the Junior-to-Senior Transition in Male Football\u2014A Scoping Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-2192-2464","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jo\u00e3o","family":"Tom\u00e1s","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade de Coimbra, CIPER, FCDEFUC, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7932-3192","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Duarte","family":"Ara\u00fajo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-004 Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0825-4032","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Diogo","family":"Martinho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade de Coimbra, CIPER, FCDEFUC, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7658-4837","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jo\u00e3o","family":"Ribeiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, CIDESD, Universidade da Maia, 4475-690 Maia, Portugal"},{"name":"Gabinete de Otimiza\u00e7\u00e3o Desportiva, GOD, Sporting Clube de Braga, 4700-048 Braga, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7434-643X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Honorato","family":"Sousa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Madeira, 9000-072 Funchal, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Adam","family":"Field","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport and Exercise Science, Institute of Sport, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M15 6BX, UK"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8681-0642","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hugo","family":"Sarmento","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade de Coimbra, CIPER, FCDEFUC, 3004-531 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-004 Lisboa, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Adam, L.K., Craig, A., Williams Cook, R., S\u00e1iz, S.L.J., and Wilson, M.R. 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