My Team, my family

How do you stand out in a team sport? Each and every football player has asked themselves this very question. Even more so when they are young and in the earlier, learning stages of their career. Especially because trainers are constantly asking for self-sacrifice on the pitch; giving oneself in to the integrity of the team; avoiding personal prominence. Does this mean the ambition to stand out should be renounced? How can character and personality be expressed without getting in the way of teamwork?

Federico Sburlati and Héctor Mejía seek out the answers to these questions in the video above (English subtitles available). The two Marcet High Performance Academy trainees are touring the heart of Spain to confront the likes of Atlético de Madrid, Getafe and Cultural Leonesa. Throughout their journey, they reflect on team spirit and find themselves at the conclusion that personal success comes inevitably from self-sacrifice.

“If there isn’t a healthy relationship with my colleagues, it would be virtually impossible for things to go well for me”, Héctor explains. According to the Honduran midfielder, the way to success is “patience” and keeping anything remotely close to personalism at a distance. Federico agrees, the Italian goalkeeper is in his second season at Marcet: “Team spirit is fundamental. The key to it all is treating the team like family. Whatever it is your teammates might have to offer you, ultimately has enormous value. Without that mindset it’s extremely difficult to get anywhere in football”.