FOREWORD

“No one is born as a top football player”

When I scored that diving header against Spain at the World Cup in 2014, I was delirious with joy. Everything came together: the location, the opponent, the moment and the goal itself.

Years later, I read in the Dutch version of this book about the iceberg of development. This was spot on. The end product of my goal against Spain was very visible. But the road to it, the endless practising with the ball, remained hidden.

As a little boy, I practised a lot on the streets in my hometown Rotterdam and at my club Excelsior. I did not consciously do that to improve myself. The origin of it was my love for the ball. Having fun was at the base of everything. At the same time, without even noticing it, I became better and better.

At that time, I was unaware of the concept “growth mindset”, the central theme of this book. But when I look back at my early years as a youth football player, I definitely had a growth mindset. I used to sleep with a football in my bed and always took my ball with me when walking to school.

In my years at the Feyenoord youth academy, I started to practise more and more in a purposeful manner, for example to improve my free kicks. The connection between my brain and my legs got better and better. It started to pay off in matches by scoring goals from free kicks, which naturally encouraged me to practise even more. Obviously, talent partly consists of aptitude, but no one is born as a top football player.

Years later, my urge to improve myself was retriggered. When I was sitting in the bubble bath after a training session, through the window I saw Dennis Bergkamp practising. He was doing recovery exercises with two youth players. Every single first touch was accurate and every single pass arrived at the right place. I decided not to get out of the bath until Bergkamp made a mistake. He literally didn’t. It was only after 45 minutes, I got out of the bath with my hands shrivelled. The practice had ended.

This moment gave me a lot of answers. I was also a good player at that time. But to become a great player, I had to practise like Bergkamp. From that moment on, I gave a hundred percent every single training session, in the highest state of mind. I wanted to be like Bergkamp!

At Arsenal, I also learned to not only focus on my own game. We worked together very well as a team, as a unit. Arsène Wenger changed me from an individual player into a team player. A few years later, at Manchester United, I took the next step in that area thanks to Sir Alex Ferguson. Learning to work together as a team is a process that requires a lot of attention.

In my last period at the Dutch national team and at Feyenoord, I very consciously guided younger players in their development. I asked them questions and shared my experiences. It makes me happy when others learn something as a result of my advice. By serving them, I served the whole team. We got better together because those players got better individually. That’s exactly what it’s all about: improving every day, as a player and as a team.

That is why every coach, parent and player should read this book. Time after time, I have experienced that having a growth mindset stimulates the eagerness to learn and to keep taking steps forward in your development. A player with a growth mindset is more open to advice from others and takes more responsibility for his own development.

I would never have scored that diving header against Spain without all the hours with the ball, playing and practising. Without putting so much effort into it, I’d never have become the top goal scorer in the history of the Dutch national team. In the end, the best way to get results is by focusing on your development every single day.

Robin van Persie