Football in the age of AI: system analyzes dribbling, shooting and performance of young athletes and helps find new stars

AI analyzes dribbling, shooting and performance of young athletes and helps find new stars
An application that uses artificial intelligence to analyze football matches and identify talents has been changing the way young players are observed around the world. Developed in Mexico, the technology is already present in 43 countries and works as a type of "digital scout", capable of generating detailed reports on athletes' performance.
The innovation was presented during a visit by the Globo Repórter team to the Guadalajara campus of the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey, one of the main private universities in Mexico. There, software developer Rafael Sánchez works on tools that combine football and artificial intelligence.
According to him, images captured during matches are processed by the platform, which provides coaches with specific information about each athlete.
"It gives coaches specific reports, behavior on the field, the development of each youngster", explained Sánchez.
Robot scouts? Application with artificial intelligence analyzes young players and is already helping to reveal talents in 43 countries
Reproduction/TV Globo
The technology is capable of identifying technical characteristics of players, pointing out, for example, which foot is dominant, dribbling efficiency and performance in finishing inside the area.
During the demonstration, Sánchez showed how the system can detail an athlete's profile.
"He is right-handed. Shots inside the area. Dribbling is also top", he stated.
Robot scouts? Application with artificial intelligence analyzes young players and is already helping to reveal talent in 43 countries
Reproduction/TV Globo
For Sandra Annenberg, who followed the presentation, the experience is reminiscent of a video game.
"It looks like a video game, right?", commented the journalist.
Robot scouts? Application with artificial intelligence analyzes young players and already helps to reveal talents in 43 countries
Reproduction/TV Globo
Talents anywhere
According to the developer, the proposal is to democratize the access of young athletes to opportunities in professional football, especially in regions where the presence of observers is limited.
"Talents are there, everywhere, in the favelas of Brazil, in Mexican neighborhoods", he said.
Sánchez also stated that the tool has already helped to reveal players for international clubs.
"African football didn't have a scout. For three years we have been revealing young players for European leagues almost every month", he declared.
The inspiration for the project came from the developer's own trajectory, who played football for most of his life and dreamed of being discovered by an observer.
"I played football my whole life. I was looking to see if there was a scout, if there was a chance to see me playing. With the camera, everyone will see", he stated.
The most technological World Cup in the world history
For Sánchez, artificial intelligence will also play an increasingly important role in professional football and should mark the 2026 World Cup, which will be played in Mexico, the United States and Canada.
"It will be the most technological World Cup in history", he said.
According to him, the advancement of Big Data will allow increasingly sophisticated analyzes during matches.
"Artificial intelligence will process thousands of data, identifying live patterns on the field", he stated.
A The bet reinforces the positioning of the Mexican state of Jalisco, where Guadalajara is located, as one of the main technology hubs in Latin America.

The region concentrates around 40% of the country's technology industry and is home to hundreds of companies focused on digital innovation.
How artificial intelligence is transforming the hunt for new football stars
Reproduction/TV Globo
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