ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on a number of issues that are frequently encountered by players in professional soccer. Some of these are felt more keenly in the higher levels of the professional game, whilst others occur more frequently in the lives of lower league players. However, irrespective of the level of play, there are several common experiences associated with different stages of a player’s career. In particular, there are critical moments (Nesti and Littlewood, 2011) that must be successfully negotiated to ensure continued success. Critical moments have been described by Nesti and Littlewood (2011) as being those frequently experienced moments in our lives where we must confront an important change in our identity.
