Paul Merson tells youngsters ‘being a footballer is harder than becoming a brain surgeon’

Paul Merson has claimed it’s harder to be a professional footballer than a brain surgeon, due to the small number of hopefuls who make it to the top of the sport.

“It’s the hardest profession in the world, being a professional footballer, I think parents need to understand this. It’s harder to be a professional footballer than a brain surgeon,” Merson told Project Football.

“It’s harder, you know, everyone wants to be a professional footballer, not everyone wants to be a brain surgeon. If you want to be a brain surgeon you pick up a book and you study it and study it and study it – and if you do everything properly, you’ll be a brain surgeon.

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“You can work as hard as you can at football, but it doesn’t mean you’ll be a professional footballer – and that’s why this is the hardest thing in the world to be.

“And it starts now, at like six of seven-years-old, and it doesn’t matter how great you are today, you’re not even playing in the first team for another 12 years! 12 years, it’s hard!”

“When people have to leave school and they go ‘oh I’ve got to go college for six years to be a brain surgeon’, football starts here! To be a brain surgeon you don’t have to start at six, but to be a professional footballer you have to start at six!”

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Merson’s claims are seemingly backed up by the numbers – with just 0.5% of players who make it into a professional academy making it pro. While 0.018% of kids with a dream are successful in becoming professionals, a percentage that is equal to winning the lottery.

However, making it doesn’t guarantee success, with 97% of players who are handed a contract from a Premier League side never actually make a Premier League appearance.

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