@Article{Mendes2026,
journal="Biology of Sport",
issn="0860-021X",
year="2026",
title="Charting the champions: distinguishing the career paths of international futsal champions – a retrospective study",
abstract=" Understanding the activities that futsal players engage in during their developmental years is essential for grasping the attainment of expertise. Most studies have been conducted in soccer, and there is a lack of research specific to futsal. Given the investment of the Portuguese Football Federation in futsal, exploring the developmental pathways leading to elite levels could provide significant insights for optimizing the long-term athletic development of futsal players. The present study describes the developmental activities of elite players (those who have won the European or World Championship) and national players (who have played in the 1st Portuguese Division but have never attained international level status). The sample comprised 30 national players and 19 elite players. Questionnaires were individually applied to each player. The analysis included the variables related to each player’s developmental trajectory. Elite players initiated coach-led futsal practice later than national-level players (t = 2.374, p = 0.022, d = 0.696), with similar trends observed for the initiation of competitive futsal (t = 1.040, p = 0.058, d = 0.569) and peer-led practice in other sports (t = 2.076, p = 0.061, d = 0.995). Although age of specialization was higher in elite players (13.3±4.1 vs. 11.3±4.0 years), no significant differences were observed between groups (t = 1.663, p = 0.113, d = 0.473). Across the developmental pathway, elite players accumulated greater coach-led futsal practice volume (t = 4.343, p \< 0.001, d = 1.273), while no differences were found for peer-led practice, participation in other sports, or competition exposure. Developmental trajectories showed a progressive increase in coach-led futsal practice in both groups, with significant between-group differences only observed in adulthood (≥ 23 years: t = 3.251, p = 0.003, d = 1.170). These findings may inform the Portuguese Football Federation by suggesting that later specialization and sustained engagement in coach-led futsal and other sports may be relevant for the development of elite players. ",
author="Mendes, Diogo
and Martinho, Diogo
and Travassos, Bruno
and Gouveia, Élvio
and Ordoñez Saavedra, Nestor
and Campos, Pedro
and Baptista, Liliana C.
and Sarmento, Hugo",
pages="1641--1650",
doi="10.5114/biolsport.2026.161098",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2026.161098"
}