Aside from the naked eye test there are no measurable metrics to determine a player’s footballing IQ.

We know a defence-splitting pass when we see one. We can admire a player’s ‘vision’ and claim that their ‘first yard of pace lies in the head’. We can wax lyrical about a footballer being plugged into the matrix. But to accurately score such traits out of a hundred as if an actual Mensa test? Impossible.

That’s not to say there hasn’t been academic work undertaken to better understand this fascinating subject.

A study conducted by John Moores University in Liverpool compared the visual acuity of over 300 volunteers, a sixth of whom were Premier League stars, the rest from other, varied walks of life. By a clear margin it was the footballers who scored highest for visual clarity, contrast sensitivity, and the ability to instantly switch their gaze from near to far distances.

These findings are highly pertinent when it is acknowledged how big a role ‘scanning’ plays in the execution of footballing intelligence.

Another study, carried out in 2013, analysed thousands of game situations and determined that the best players were ‘predictive’ rather than ‘reactive’.

This means that when receiving a pass they have anticipated its weight and direction beforehand while simultaneously creating a 3D map of their immediate surroundings to fully make sense of it.

On being in possession of the ball therefore they are already in full possession of the facts.

Data box – Research shows that brain activity in professional footballers actually lowers during matches, indicating that their movements have become automatic, with less conscious effort.

To players of an elite standard this process becomes second nature and when we accept this is an intuitive act it leads us to a truly interesting question.

To what extent is footballing IQ innate, and how much of it can be taught?

Nature vs Nurture: Can Footballing IQ be Taught?

David McGurk is a former centre-back for York City while Michael Morton has coached for many years at Leeds United and Manchester City. Together they have founded TacticX, a website that aids coaching acumen for professional and grassroots clubs alike.

Both are firmly of the opinion that footballing IQ can be coached, but equally both believe an individual’s development-ceiling will ultimately inform what level is attained.

“I think it can be taught but it’s like with any ability, there are certain limits any player is going to reach,” David says.

“There are so many variables on the pitch and I think back to my playing days on this. You may be able to read the game – you can see the ball and see the danger – but stopping one danger opens up another and you then have a split-second to make your mind up and consider further variables. Can that opposition player beat you for pace, for example.

That’s why the top players are there for a reason. They have that level of IQ.”

He adds that while helping a player evolve his in-game tactical understanding and decision-making is a key base to their performances, experience is always the best educator.

Michael is of the same mind, stating the importance of repetition over time.

“I think IQ can be taught, so long as you keep doing it. Yes, it will land differently. But when it’s a constant message, you can get it.

They say that footballers aren’t bright. Well they are, they are unbelievably bright. They may not be doctors, and academically trained, but their IQ levels are at an elite standard.”

Spatial Awareness: Always Scanning, Always Thinking 

Over the years, TacticX have pioneered a development model that places scanning as one of its four core pillars, the others being securing (receiving the ball), supporting, and supplying (passing, crossing, finishing).

Michael explains how these principles are holistic, all interconnected and holding equal importance. Simply put, if a player doesn’t constantly take a mental photograph of where he is, in relation to his team-mates and the opposition, then he will not be able to support correctly, nor be in a position to pass or shoot.

“It gives you the information you need to cleanly run through all of the other processes. I should say too, scanning is not simply about moving your head around and looking, but rather taking all of that information in.

At Leeds, we got all of the players involved in this, from the under 9s right up to the first-team. We asked them, when they are scanning what are they looking for? Most players say the ball, naturally, but the best players can also see where the danger is, and what the next move should be.

Top players in the world will scan eight to ten times every ten seconds, but crucially they will also take that information in. I worked with David Silva at Manchester City and it was his scanning skills that took him to another level.”

Blueprint from Scholars: Learning from the Best

If scanning is a fundamental element in reading a game so too is video analysis, with young players increasingly urged to watch games, not for entertainment’s sake, but rather through the prism of learning.

After all, some of the best players deployed in each young player’s position offer up invaluable tutorials on a weekly basis, through our television sets.

So it is that youngsters are encouraged to carefully study the movements and decisions made by these masters of their craft, both in and out of possession. What runs are made to give their team-mate an option? When do they engage in a duel and when do they hold?

In a broader sense, what patterns emerge in build-up or when defending, and how does the player contribute to that?

It is common practice for the stars of tomorrow to repeatedly pause proceedings when watching a match, particularly when the player under review is on the ball. Can it be anticipated when he will release, and to who? Where is he looking, and what is he looking out for?

This exercise is grounded in common sense because to better understand the player you want to become there is more chance of that aspiration manifesting.

Reducing Mental Strain: Making learning fun

In the modern era small-sided games have become a training norm, the confines and touch restrictions programming faster decisions under pressure.

Whether it’s 2v2 or 3v3 these high-intensity and enjoyable workouts are designed to improve spatial awareness and touch while also helping propagate instinctive problem-solving, a vital skill given that footballers typically perform up to 250 intense actions per match.  

Elsewhere, a good coach will always think outside of the box, dreaming up new ways to execute age-old drills. ‘Conscious Scanning’ is an example if this, with players challenged to identify colours or numbers behind them every time they receive a pass.

Themed routines such as this serve twin purposes, in promoting good habits and making training fun and though at the heart of it all is the intention to improve their technical game, allied to this is the need for ingrained awareness.

Awareness of their surroundings. Awareness of what’s to come. Awareness too of the options available to a player to either make this happen, or prevent it.

That in a nutshell is footballing IQ, an ability that can absolutely be taught, learnt, and assimilated.