Football coaches could soon be calling on AI to scout the next superstar

London: Football managers might soon have a new tool in their kit. Imagine just asking for a player with the skills of Jude Bellingham or the power of Erling Haaland. Sounds cool, right? Well, that’s what some tech folks are working on.

They’re developing an AI system that could help coaches find the next superstar. This system tracks nearly 180,000 young players worldwide, mostly teens, and uses video to analyze their performances. It’s like having a magic lamp for scouting!

The company behind this, Eyeball, claims to have the largest video database of youth football. They can match young talents to the traits of current stars. So, if a coach wants a “box-to-box midfielder,” they can get a list of players who fit that mold.

David Hicks, one of the founders, believes that soon, scouts will just need to say what type of player they want, and the AI will do the rest. It’s pretty wild to think about how this could change scouting.

Right now, they’re gathering data from youth games in places like Spain, France, and even smaller countries in Africa. Clubs from the Premier League and other top leagues are already using this tech. It’s a game-changer!

There’s also another startup called Talnets, which is tracking players in Africa and planning to expand to other regions. They’re all about making scouting fairer and less influenced by politics.

Eyeball’s system uses a single camera to capture everything happening on the pitch. It tracks players’ movements, speed, and even how many sharp turns they make. Some players found this way are already making it to professional teams.

But we won’t know how effective this AI scouting really is for a few years. It’ll take time to see if these players turn out to be the next big thing. For now, it’s an exciting development in the world of football!