Designing smart pattern in soccer talent identification based on main and weighted criteria resulted from analytic hierarchy process via fuzzy logic

The management of proper tools and scientific approaches in sport talent identification will lead to rapid detection of sport talents for championships. These methods may lengthen the duration of athlete success as well as providing their maximum efficacy in worldwide competitions. The investigations in this field are mostly based on defining effective parameters in talent identification or determining the gold standards of brilliants. The aim of this study was to design a smart pattern in soccer talent identification based on main and weighted criteria resulted from analytic hierarchy process of biomechanics, psychologies, physiologies and skill variables via fuzzy logic.

  the important criteria were selected based on analytic hierarchy process of biomechanics, psychologies, physiologies and skill variables and also the gold standards of the talented Iranian soccer players in the range of 14-16 years old in these variables. Thereafter, a smart model was designed due to fuzzy logic using MATLAB software.

the input data were considered as the 14-16 years old soccer player records in the previously mentioned variables, further, the output data based on the standards of talented players were categorized the players into following categories as: Unmatched, Semi-matched, Matched, Brilliant and Rare.

The parameters including agility and flexibility (biomechanics), motivation, concentration and self-confidence (psychology), respiratory/cardiac capacities (physiology), dribble and ball control (skill) were shown to be main and weighted by hierarchy process and our smart model of soccer talent identification analyzed these variable in comparison with gold standards and makes a specific result of player’s talent. This model of talent identification could be a reliable and useful method for selection of future soccer stars in young population.