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Introduction This study examined the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in self-confidence, self-efficacy, and football-related capacities in youth players, and evaluated the effects of an emotional training program based on psychophysical metaphors. Methods A pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was conducted with 70 youth football players. Self-reported and hetero-reported EI, self-confidence, self-efficacy, and football-related capacities were assessed before and after a 4-month emotional training intervention. Results EI dimensions showed differential associations with psychological and football variables. Changes associated with the intervention were observed in self-confidence, hetero-reported emotional competencies, and several football-related capacities, with large effect sizes, although self-efficacy did not significantly improve. Given the pre-experimental design, causal attribution cannot be established. Discussion Findings highlight the complex and non-linear role of EI in football performance and support the effectiveness of an emotional change-based intervention, offering an innovative alternative to traditional psychological training approaches in developmental football contexts.
Rivero-Mena et al. (Tue,) studied this question.