I recently came across an interesting article from the FIFA Training Centre on the topic of talent identification. In both business and sports, early identification of talent is crucial. But what if we shifted our focus to potential rather than just current performance?

The Belgian Football Association demonstrates with its innovative “Green Bananas” approach how this can be done: players are evaluated based on their development potential—not just their current level of performance.

But what on earth do bananas have to do with football or talent identification? Well, it’s like going to the supermarket. You walk in, head to the fruit and vegetable section, and stand in front of a shelf full of neatly arranged bananas. Some are green, others are yellow, and a few have brown spots. Which ones do you put in your basket? Most people understandably choose the ripe yellow bananas—after all, everyone knows they taste the best, right?

Now imagine that the banana shelf represents all the talented football players in a country. The yellow ones are the star players—talents who have matured early and are already delivering top performances week after week. When people see them, they point at them and say things like, “That kid is going to go far.” But can we really be so sure? What happens when that beautiful yellow banana suddenly gets brown spots? Overnight, the most attractive banana on the shelf—the player everyone considered the best in the country—suddenly doesn’t look so appealing anymore.

And what about the green bananas that no one wanted to buy—let alone eat? Imagine these bananas sitting on the shelf for days. What happens to them? After some time, they begin to turn slightly yellow. Then they ripen more and more until they become beautiful, bright yellow bananas. In youth football, it’s exactly the same. With a bit of patience and enough time, players who are overlooked at a young age can become stars—and these are exactly the “green bananas” we should be looking for. The kids who were described as too small, too skinny, or too slow. Or young players who, at the age of 13, may simply not have had as many training hours as other top performers on their team. Because many players are simply more trained—not more talented.

This post was published by Christian Lang on LinkedIn on March 17, 2025. Zum Original-Beitrag