ABSTRACT
Soccer differs from individual sports in that there is no definitive index of each player’s performance. The coach may consider that the individual played well if he/she has contributed to executing the overall game plan. Spectators are swayed by the more spectacular aspects of the performance such as a display of exquisite skill or the scoring of a goal. The players themselves will form their own impressions about how each one of them has done in the game. These are essentially subjective views, in contrast to sports such as track and field athletics, cycling, rowing and swimming. Rank order in finishing, time to complete the distance, and the distance jumped constitute precise measures of competitive performance.
