Why a top boffin says Messi really IS a football genius

Published 23:00 09/03/11

Footballers may be good at fractions - they all know it’s a game of two halves - but now it’s being claimed they’re geniuses.

A sports scientist reckons superstars such as Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney naturally excel at maths and science, and develop an intuitive understanding of geometry which allows them to perfect the beautiful game.

Dr Ken Bray, from the University of Bath, analysed hours of footage to back up his theory that mathematics and scientific principles are essential to reaching the heights of world football.

“Football is an art, but it’s also a science and every footballer uses geometry, aerodynamics and probability to perform at their peak," he said.

“An understanding of scientific and mathematical principles could be worth its weight in gold if you want a career in football.”

Burnley defender Clark Carlisle, dubbed Britain’s brainiest footballer after appearances on TV shows Countdown and Question Time, isn’t at all surprised by the findings.

Carlisle, who achieved an A-level in maths, said: “From the forward to the keeper, we rely on scientific and mathematical principles to improve our performance, whether it’s a case of striking the ball cleanly, working out the angle of a slide rule pass or positioning the wall to defend a free-kick.”

Former Everton and Chelsea forward Pat Nevin has an arts degree from Glasgow Caledonian University and well-known for his interest in music, literature and the arts.

“At school some of the other pupils would call me ‘Cabbage’ and think I was thick just because I played a lot of football - even though I was getting better marks at them in tests," said the 47-year-old, now a commentator for Channel 5 on their Europa League coverage.

“The general idea was that footballers weren’t the brightest, but I remember one teacher said to me, ‘Every single footballer I have ever taught have been some of my best pupils.’

“Just because the majority haven’t experienced tertiary education doesn’t make them thick. A lot of the sharpest people I have met in football during my career haven’t a GCSE or A-Level to their name.

“They tend to have more of a street intelligence, but it certainly doesn’t make them any less bright.

“People like Brian McClair (former Manchester United and Glasgow Celtic forward) and myself might be considered exceptions because we went to university, but I have never considered myself as any smarter than anybody else I’ve ever played with.

“If you have played the game for a long time, you tend to develop an innate understanding of geometry and spatial awareness - even if you don’t realise it.

“An example of someone who everyone used to assume was thick was Martin Keown - but look at him now, he’s a respected analyst of the game.

“When we were at Everton together, some of the other lads would wind him up by saying he was a bit thick - but when you hear him now, you know that was absolute garbage.

“Some people have intellectual capabilities in certain areas, and footballers are no different. There are people who have gone to Cambridge or Oxford, but they have no social intelligence.

“In contrast, footballers might not have the qualifications - but they are definitely an intelligent bunch.”

Dr Bray analysed free-kicks, penalties and goalkeeping techniques to prove his theory that intelligence played a valuable role on the field.

When a player such as David Beckham or Roberto Carlos steps up to hit a free-kick, they don’t just mindlessly aim to hit the back of the net - they also calculate narrow angles and aerodynamics.

“It takes extraordinary skill to beat a defensive wall with a swerving kick," said Dr Bray. "The striker must ensure the ball passes through very narrow limits as it crosses the defensive wall to hit the target.

“For a 25-yard free-kick, the ball needs to be struck with an elevation of 16 degrees and for right-footed players, hit slightly to the right so the swerve will bring it back on target as the ball speeds towards the net.

“The initial ball speed should be 60mph-70 mph and it must be spun at about 600 revolutions per minute if the ball is to move in flight.”

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FORWARD THINKERS:

FRANK LAMPARD has an IQ of more than 150 and 12 GCSEs – including an A in Latin.

BRIAN McCLAIR Ex-Manchester United and Scotland striker gained a maths degree at Glasgow University.

IAIN DOWIE Former Crystal Palace player and manager has a Master’s degree in engineering from the University of Hertfordshire.

STEVE COPPELL The former Reading manager gained a degree in economics from Liverpool University while playing for Manchester United.

THROWBACKS:

JERMAINE PENNANT Stoke winger forgot he owned a Porsche, leaving it at a railway station for five months while playing in Spain.

STEPHEN IRELAND Pulled out of Irish international squad claiming his granny had died. When it was revealed she hadn’t, he said it was his other granny... except she was still alive too.

ASHLEY COLE Chelsea star shot a work-placement student at training recently, claiming he did not know the .22 air rifle was loaded.

CHARLES N’ZOGBIA The Wigan winger was cautioned by police last year after being caught getting someone else to sit his theory driving test.

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BUT OUR ROBBIE'S NOT CONVINCED...

So footballers are intelligent . . . I don’t think (so), says Mirror columnist Robbie Savage :

I got my maths’ O level, but even the homework my seven-year-old, Charlie, brings home baffles me these days. I know about my 346 Premier League games and 150 bookings, but the only numbers most modern-day footballers know about are the ones on their monthly pay packet.”

But then, I used to think the theory of relativity was something do with your mum and dad. If you asked me to find a hypotenuse I’d book a safari. I get my roots done regularly, but there’s nothing square about them.

And the degrees I’m most familiar with are Laurie Cunningham, Cyrille Regis and Brendan Batson – West Brom’s Three Degrees in their 1970s glory days.

Mind you, that still makes me the equivalent of Professor Stephen Hawking in our house, where my wife Sarah once asked me how much money she’d make for the kids’ school fund if she sold 300 raffle tickets at a quid each!

I suppose we do think about slide-rule passes and the kind of triangles Barcelona played in against Arsenal the other night. But I couldn’t tell you if they were acute or obtuse.

That’s because football is all about hard work, instinct and skill (or, in my case, 66.6% of those qualities) rather than working out complicated formulas in your head.

The only time I’ve heard of a footballer using fractions is the famous story about Jason McAteer going to Pizza Hut.

The waitress asked him if he’d like his deep-pan cut into eighths and he replied: “I’m not that hungry, cut it into quarters.”

Although, to think of it, I did also once hear Peter Beagrie complain about “warring fractions in the Manchester City dressing room.”

It’s bizarre that Dr Bray thinks Cristiano Ronaldo was calculating the revolutions per minute of the ball every time he stepped up to take a free-kick for Manchester United.

I can guarantee the only RPM rate going on his mind was the one on his Ferrari’s dashboard as he rushed to get to the tanning salon before closing time.

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