Psychology and football: learning to lead in the first person: How are coaches trained to develop the talent of the players?

Anthropologically joining as a team is a necessity of human beings. And in football, the team is key to finding the ideal development and thus fulfilling the proposed objectives. Maria Ruiz de Ona, accompanied by a group of specialists, analyses the importance of psychology when entering the field. The ideas of Ernesto Valverde, Head Coach with FC Barcelona, stand out. President of the Association of Psychology Applied to Football, Maria is a graduate of psychology who specialises in sports psychology and certified in executive coaching and organisational constellations. With more than 25 years of experience in sports psychology, Maria has dedicated 21 years working as the head of the psychology and learning area of Athletic Bilbao Football Club. Advocating the importance of personal development, lifelong learning, innovation, shared leadership, and the exploration of talent in sports, Maria travels around the world providing lectures and training courses. Her approach is unique. Self-knowledge, listening, sensitivity, intuition, questioning, and a deep understanding of training coaches and players are her travel companions. Currently working in Aspire Academy, Maria remains very close to Selfinstitute, whose conversations this book draws on.