Table 3. Mean (±SD) values for biographical, anthropometric and performance characteristics of professional and elite soccer players reported since 1995.
| Source |
Nationality |
Level |
n |
Age (yr) |
Stature (m) |
BM (kg) |
BMI* (kg·m-2) |
Body Fat (%) |
Somatotype |
VO2max |
CMJ (cm) |
| Mercer et al., 1995 |
English |
PROF D1 |
15 |
24.7 (3.8) |
1.79 (.08) |
77.6 (9.2) |
24.22 |
16.2 (3.4) |
- |
62.6 (3.8) |
44.8 (6.8) |
| Raastad et al., 1997 |
Norwegian |
PROF |
28 |
23.5 (3.0) |
- |
78.9 (7.8) |
- |
- |
- |
62.8 (4.1) |
- |
| Bury et al., 1998 |
Belgium |
PROF D1 |
15 |
24.2 (2.6) |
1.81 (.05) |
76.8 (5.2) |
23.52 |
14.1 (1.1) |
- |
62.8 (4.0) |
- |
| Di Salvo et al., 1998 |
Italian |
PROF |
44 |
17.8 (.6) |
1.81 (.04) |
72.6 (4.7) |
22.09 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Rico-Sanz, 1998 |
Puerto Rican |
Olympic |
8 |
17.0 (2.0) |
1.70 (.07) |
63.4 (3.1) |
21.99 |
7.6 (3.1) |
- |
69.2 |
- |
| Rienzi et al., 1998 |
South American |
PROF |
110 |
26.1 (4.0) |
1.77 (.06) |
76.4 (7.0) |
24.39 |
10.6 (2.6) |
2.0-5.3-2.2 |
- |
- |
| Wisløff et al., 1998 |
Norwegian |
PROF D1 |
14 |
23.8 (3.8) |
1.81 (.05) |
76.9 (6.3) |
23.45 |
- |
- |
67.6 (4.0) |
56.7 (6.6) |
| Wisløff et al., 1998 |
Norwegian |
PROF D1 |
15 |
23.8 (3.9) |
1.81 (.05) |
76.8 (7.4) |
23.49 |
- |
- |
59.9 (4.1) |
53.1 (4.0) |
| Rico-Sanz et al., 1999 |
Swiss |
PROF |
17 |
17.5 (1.0) |
1.77 (.05) |
69.4 (6.4) |
22.08 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Batterham et al., 1999 |
English |
PROF PL |
9 |
18.1 (.6) |
1.81 (.06) |
70.5 (5.0) |
21.52 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Mujika et al., 2000 |
Spanish |
PROF |
17 |
20.3 (1.4) |
1.80 (.06) |
74.8 (5.5) |
23.11 |
7.9 (1.6) |
- |
- |
47.4 (6.0) |
| Aziz et al., 2000 |
Singaporean |
National |
23 |
21.9 (3.6) |
1.75 (.06) |
65.6 (6.1) |
21.42 |
- |
- |
58.2 (3.7) |
- |
| Rienzi et al., 2000 |
South American |
PROF |
11 |
26.1 (4.0) |
1.77 (.06) |
76.4 (7.0) |
24.39 |
10.6 (2.6) |
2.2-5.4-2.2 |
- |
- |
| Sözen et al., 2000 |
Turkish |
PROF |
83 |
25.5 (4.0) |
1.78 (.06) |
73.6 (8.5) |
23.28 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Al-Hazzaa et al., 2001 |
Saudi Arabian |
PROF |
154 |
25.2 (3.3) |
1.77 (.06) |
73.1 (6.8) |
23.28 |
12.3 (2.7) |
- |
56.8 (4.8) |
- |
| Casajus, 2001 |
Spanish |
PROF |
15 |
26.3 (3.1) |
1.80 (.07) |
78.5 (6.4) |
24.23 |
8.2 (.91) |
2.6-4.9-2.3 |
66.4 (7.6) |
41.4 (2.7) |
| Cometti et al., 2001 |
French |
PROF D1 |
29 |
26.1 (4.3) |
1.80 (.04) |
74.5 (6.2) |
23.05 |
- |
- |
- |
41.6 (4.2) |
| Cometti et al., 2001 |
French |
PROF D2 |
32 |
23.2 (5.6) |
1.78 (.06) |
73.5 (14.7) |
23.20 |
- |
- |
- |
39.7 (5.6) |
| Helgerud et al., 2001 |
Norwegian |
PROF D1 |
19 |
18.1 (.8) |
1.81 (.06) |
72.2 (11.1) |
21.97 |
- |
- |
64.3 (3.9) |
54.7 (3.8) |
| Craven et al., 2002 |
English |
PROF D1 |
14 |
23 |
1.81 (.06) |
80.1 (9.2) |
24.45 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Dowson et al., 2002 |
New Zealand |
National |
21 |
Senior |
1.78 (.07) |
78.9 (6.0) |
24.90 |
17.4 |
- |
60.5 (2.6) |
48.0 (4.6) |
| Strudwick et al., 2002 |
English |
PROF PL |
19 |
22.0 (2.0) |
1.77 (.06) |
77.9 (8.9) |
24.87 |
12.3 (2.9) |
- |
59.4 (6.2) |
- |
| Carvalho et al., 2003 |
Portuguese |
PROF D1 |
74 |
- |
1.77 (.06) |
76.7 (5.5) |
24.51 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Portuguese |
PPOF GK |
9 |
- |
1.83 (.03) |
81.5 (8.0) |
24.34 |
- |
- |
- |
34.2 (8.4) |
|
Portuguese |
PROF CEN Def |
13 |
- |
1.85 (.06) |
82.0 (6.2) |
24.06 |
- |
- |
- |
32.1 (7.3) |
|
Portuguese |
PROF Full-Back |
9 |
- |
1.73 (.05) |
69.9 (6.4) |
23.36 |
- |
- |
- |
32.4 (2.9) |
|
Portuguese |
PROF CEN MF |
17 |
- |
1.76 (.08) |
74.3 (7.0) |
23.96 |
- |
- |
- |
35.5 (6.2) |
|
Portuguese |
PROF Wide MF |
15 |
- |
1.75 (.05) |
75.3 (4.8) |
24.48 |
- |
- |
- |
38.8 (9.0) |
|
Portuguese |
PROF Strikers |
11 |
- |
1.80 (1.1) |
78.9 (8.6) |
24.35 |
- |
- |
- |
35.3 (5.2) |
| Matkovic et al., 2003 |
Croatian |
National |
57 |
23.2 (3.5) |
1.81 (.06) |
77.6 (5.7) |
23.79 |
14.9 (3.5) |
- |
- |
- |
|
Croatian |
National GK |
7 |
- |
1.83 (.04) |
80.1 (5.1) |
23.94 |
20.2 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Croatian |
National Def |
17 |
- |
1.82 (.05) |
- |
- |
13.9 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Croatian |
National MF |
21 |
- |
1.81 (.06) |
- |
- |
14.4 |
- |
- |
- |
|
Croatian |
National FORW |
12 |
- |
1.79 (.06) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Wilson et al., 2004 |
Northern Irish |
PROF |
34 |
26.0 (5.8) |
1.73 (.08) |
76.2 (5.1) |
25.46 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Northern Irish |
PROF Def |
12 |
26.5 (6.2) |
1.75 (.01) |
77.6 (5.1) |
25.34 |
15.6 (2.9) |
- |
49.9 (5.4) |
42.8 (7.1) |
|
Northern Irish |
PROF MF |
10 |
26.7 (6.1) |
1.75 (.01) |
76.6 (4.8) |
25.01 |
16.0 (2.2) |
- |
51.6 (7.8) |
47.0 (9.6) |
|
Northern Irish |
PROF Striker |
12 |
24.9 (5.5) |
1.71 (.01) |
74.5 (5.2) |
25.48 |
14.3 (2.2) |
- |
53.1 (5.4) |
48.3 (10.0) |
BM = Body Mass; BMI = Body Mass Index; Maximal oxygen uptake = VO (ml·kg·min); CMJ = Counter Movement Jump PROF = Professional; GK = Goalkeepers; CEN = Central, Def = defenders; MF = Midfielders; FORW = Forwards. * BMI based on mean values of stature and body mass.
