Scand J Med Sci Sports 2009: 19: 243251

Printed in Singapore . All rights reserved

DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2008.00780.x

& 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S

Muscular strength, functional performances and injury risk in

professional and junior elite soccer players
C. Lehance1, J. Binet2, T. Bury1, J. L. Croisier2
1

Department of Sports Physiology, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium, 2Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation,
University Hospital Centre, Liege, Belgium

Corresponding author: Cedric Lehance, Department of Sports Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, ISEPK, B21, Allee des Sports
4, B-4000, University of Liege , Liege, Belgium. Tel: 0032-(0)43663886, Fax: 0032-(0)43662901, E-mail: clehance@
ulg.ac.be
Accepted for publication 10 January 2008

Muscle strength and anaerobic power of the lower extremities are neuromuscular variables that inuence performance in many sports activities, including soccer. Despite
frequent contradictions in the literature, it may be assumed
that muscle strength and balance play a key role in targeted
acute muscle injuries. The purpose of the present study was
to provide and compare pre-season muscular strength and
power proles in professional and junior elite soccer players
throughout the developmental years of 1521. One original
aspect of our study was that isokinetic data were considered
alongside the past history of injury in these players. Fiftyseven elite and junior elite male soccer players were assigned
to three groups: PRO, n 5 19; U-21, n 5 20 and U-17,
n 5 18. Players beneted from knee exor and extensor
isokinetic testing consisting of concentric and eccentric
exercises. A context of lingering muscle disorder was dened
using statistically selected cut-os. Functional performance

was evaluated throughout a squat jump and 10 m sprint. The

PRO group ran faster and jumped higher than the U-17
group (Po0.05). No signicant dierence in isokinetic
muscle strength performance was observed between the three
groups when considering normalized body mass parameters.
Individual isokinetic proles enabled the identication of 32/
57 (56%) subjects presenting lower limb muscular imbalance.
Thirty-six out of 57 players were identied as having
sustained a previous major lower limb injury. Of these 36
players, 23 still showed signicant muscular imbalance
(64%). New trends in rational training could focus more on
the risk of imbalance and implement antagonist strengthening
aimed at injury prevention. Such an intervention would
benet not only athletes recovering from injury, but also
uninjured players. An interdisciplinary approach involving
trainers, a physical coach, and medical sta would be of
interest to consider in implementing a prevention programme.

Soccer performance depends on a myriad of factors

such as technical, tactical, mental and physiological
factors (Stolen et al., 2005). Muscle strength and
anaerobic power of the lower extremities are neuromuscular variables that inuence performance in
many sports activities, including soccer (Paasuke
et al., 2001). Although aerobic metabolism dominates
the energy delivery during a soccer game, the most
decisive actions are made by means of anaerobic
metabolism. To perform short sprints, jumps, tackles
and duel play, anaerobic energy release is determinant with regard to who is sprinting fastest or
jumping highest. This is often crucial for the match
outcome (Stolen et al., 2005). Anaerobic power is the
product of strength and speed and refers to the
ability of the neuromuscular system to produce the
greatest possible impulse in a given time period
(Wislo et al., 2004). The idea of this maximal
strength/power performance relationship is supported by jump test results as well as in 30 m sprint
results (Schmidtbleicher, 1992; Wislo et al., 2004).

By increasing the available force of muscular contraction in appropriate muscles or muscle groups,
acceleration and speed may improve in skills critical
to soccer such as turning, sprinting and changing
pace (Bangsbo et al., 1991). Therefore, the acceleration phase and predominantly the initial acceleration
phase (010 m) are of major importance to athletes
(Cometti et al., 2001). The contribution of strength
qualities to sprinting performance is not clear. Several studies have reported correlations between
strength measurement and anaerobic power performance (Mero et al., 1981; Mero, 1985; Young et al.,
1995), while others have reported low and nonsignicant relationships (Farrar & Thorland, 1987;
Cometti et al., 2001). Such a discrepancy may result
from variations in the sample studies with respect to
age, gender and performance level. In addition, the
specicity of strength measurements to sprinting may
have inuenced the results.
Muscular strength evaluation of the lower extremities in athletes has been frequently performed

243

Lehance et al.
using free weights (Wislo et al., 1998), or isoinertial
(Murphy & Wilson, 1996) or isokinetic dynamometry (Oberg et al., 1986; Bosco et al., 1995; Zakas
et al., 1995; Murphy & Wilson, 1996; Dowson et al.,
1998; Cometti et al., 2001; Croisier et al., 2002, 2003;
Askling et al., 2003). Although widely used in
strength assessment, some authors believe that isokinetic dynamometry does not reect the functional
aspects of limb movements involved in soccer practice. Consequently, they recommend the preferential
use of functional tests through performance assessment (Cometti et al., 2001; Wislo et al., 2004).
While debate exists on the eciency of isokinetic vs
functional testing in relation to performance assessment (Ostenberg et al., 1998; Cometti et al., 2001),
the usefulness of isokinetic dynamometry in assessing
decits and imbalances in muscle strength are not
disputed (Croisier, 2004a, b) Despite frequent contradiction in the literature, it may be assumed that
muscle strength and balance play a key role in
targeted acute muscle injuries (Croisier et al., 2005).
Some prospective studies have also highlighted that a
pre-season assessment of isokinetic muscle function
is able to identify strength variables as predictors of
hamstring muscle strain, especially in sports where
there is a high risk of muscle injury (Croisier et al.,
2005). The purpose of the present study was to
provide and compare pre-season muscular strength
and power proles in professional and junior elite
soccer players throughout the developmental years of
1521. One original aspect of our study was that
isokinetic data were considered alongside the past
history of injury in these players. Through concentric
and eccentric isokinetic assessment of knee exor and
extensor muscles, a vertical jump and 10-meter
(10 m) sprint performance, we also analyzed possible
relationships between variables.
Methods
Subjects
Fifty-seven elite and junior elite male soccer players from a
Belgian First Division team took part in the study, and
performed all the tests described below. The subjects were
assigned to three groups: professional group (PRO, n 5 19,
age: 26.1  3.5 years, weight: 77.9  6.2 kg, height: 178.4 
6.1 cm), under-21 years group (U-21, n 5 20, age: 19.5  1.6
years, weight: 73.2  6.7 kg, height: 179.2  5.4 cm) and under17 years group (U-17, n 5 18, age: 15.7  0.8 years, weight:
65.6  5.5 kg, height: 176.2  7.8 cm). An injury report form
was used to determine each players past history of major
injury to the knee joint structures (bone, ligament, muscle,
tendon). According to the teams medical sta, all the players
included in this investigation were injury free at the time
of testing. The subjects dominant leg was determined based
on kicking preference. Informed consent was provided by all
athletes before testing and experiments were carried out under
the approval of the local Ethical Committee according to the
code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration
of Helsinki, 1975).

244

Testing
All measurements were performed during the pre-season
(6 weeks), 1 month before the beginning of the championship.
All tests were completed over two dierent sessions, 3 days
apart in the following order: (1) muscle strength evaluation;
(2) anaerobic power tests.
Bilateral isokinetic testing assessed maximal hamstring
and quadriceps muscle performance using an isokinetic
dynamometer (Cybex Norm). All measurements were preceded by a standardized warm-up on an ergometric bicycle
(75100 W) and dynamic stretching exercises of subsequently
involved muscles. The subject was seated on the dynamometer
(1051 of coxo-femoral exion) with the body stabilized
by several straps around the thigh, waist and chest in order
to avoid compensations. The range of knee motion was
xed at 1001 of exion from the active maximum extension.
The gravitational factor of the dynamometers lever arm and
lower segment ensemble was calculated by the dynamometer
and was automatically compensated during measurements.
The subject did not receive visual feedback during the test;
however, verbal encouragement was given. An adequate
familiarization with the dynamometer was provided in the
form of further warm-up isokinetic repetitions at various
angular speeds. Before assessment, preliminary repetitions
routinely preceded each test speed. The protocol included
concentric exertions (angular speeds of 60 and 2401/s) of
both exor and extensor muscles. Afterwards, exor muscles
were subjected to eccentric angular speeds of 30 and 1201/s.
The results analysis included the absolute peak torques (PT)
in Newton-meters, and the bilateral comparison enabled
the determination of asymmetries expressed in percentage
terms. A conventional exor/quadriceps PT (FL/Q) ratio
was established for the same mode and speed of concentric
contraction. An original mixed ratio associated the eccentric
performance of the exor muscles (at 301/s) with the concentric action of the quadriceps muscles (at 2401/s) (Croisier,
2004b). The nature of the deciency was determined using
statistically selected cut-os: bilateral dierences of 15% or
more, a concentric ratio of o0.47 and a mixed ratio of o0.80
(Croisier et al., 2002).
During the second testing session, the players undertook
vertical jump and 10 m sprint tests after a thorough 30-min
warm-up. These tests were performed indoors and the players
wore adapted shoes. The jumping ability of the subjects was
evaluated with the Optojump system (Microgate, Bolzano,
Italy), which measures the time of contact on the oor and
the time ight using photoelectric cells. Flight time was used
to calculate height of the rise using the bodys center of
gravity. Each subject performed three squat jumps (SJ) interspersed with a 1-min rest between each jump. SJ were started
from a static semi-squatting position with a exed knee
angle of 901, followed by a subsequent action, during which
the leg and hip extensor muscles contracted concentrically.
Subjects performed several trials for familiarization before the
testing session. In order to standardize the test modalities,
horizontal and lateral displacements were minimized, and the
hands were kept on the hips. No countermovement of the
trunk or knee was allowed before the SJ. Only the best jump
for each player was used in the data analysis. The subjects
also repeated three 10 m sprints, separated by a 5-min recovery
period. Times were recorded by photocells (Microgate, SRL,
Italy): at knee height (60 cm) for the departure and at the
shoulder height (150 cm) for the arrival. In order to eliminate
reaction time, the subjects started without any starting signal
from a static position with parallel feet behind the start line.
Only the best time taken to cover the 10 m distance was used
in the data analysis.

Muscular strength in soccer players

for all modes of contraction and angular velocities.
However, there were only signicant dierences
(Po0.05) in the quadriceps concentric absolute PT
at 60 and 2401/s between the PRO and U-17 groups
and between the U-21 and U-17 groups in the
concentric mode at 601/s. No signicant dierences
in muscle strength performance were observed between the three groups when considering the body
mass normalized parameters. Muscle strength balance between agonist/antagonist muscle groups and
between dominant (D) and non-dominant (ND) legs
in concentric and eccentric modes is presented in
Tables 2 and 3.
No signicant dierences concerning FL/Q imbalances or bilateral asymmetries were observed for all
modes of contraction and angular velocities for the
PRO, U-21 and U-17 groups. The individual isoki-

Statistical analysis
Means and standard deviations were used to describe all the
variables. In order to allow the comparison of unrelated
observations, the KruskalWallis test was used, which
includes appropriate procedures for multiple comparisons
between groups. Pearsons w2 test enabled us to compare the
prevalence of muscular imbalance between the various groups.
Pearsons productmoment correlation was also calculated to
determine the relationship between selected variables. A level
of Po0.05 was selected to indicate statistical signicance.

Results
Isokinetic results related to absolute and body mass
normalized absolute PT for the PRO, U-21 and U-17
players are presented in Tables 1 and 2.
The PRO and the U-21 groups showed higher
exor and extensor absolute PT than the U-17 group

Table 1. Quadriceps and hamstring peak torques (means  SD, in N m) for all modes of contraction and angular velocities in professional (PRO, n 5 19),
U-21 (n 5 20) and U-17 (n 5 18) soccer players

Quadriceps

PRO
U-21
U-17

Hamstring

C 601/s (N m)

C 2401/s (N m)

C 601/s (N m)

C 2401/s (N m)

E 301/s (N m)

E 1201/s (N m)

224.2 (38.8)*
231.7 (30.4)w
194.7 (23.6)

136.9 (18.7)*
133.3 (17.6)
120.3 (15.8)

136.8 (34.1)
147.1 (23.4)
128.1 (18.8)

100.8 (12.3)
102.2 (10.8)
92.4 (15.3)

200.1 (52.4)
194.2 (44.5)
174.6 (36.7)

197.6 (44.2)
196.8 (39.8)
171.2 (41.6)

*Values represent significant differences (Po0.05) between isokinetic performances for PRO and U-17 groups.
w

Values represent significant differences (Po0.05) between isokinetic performances for U-21 and U-17 groups.
Q, quadriceps; Fl, hamstring; C, concentric; E, eccentric.

Table 2. Quadriceps and hamstring body mass normalized peak torques (means  SD, in N m/kg) for all modes of contraction and angular velocities for
dominant (D) and non-dominant (ND) leg in professional (PRO, n 5 19), U-21 (n 5 20) and U-17 (n 5 18) soccer players

PRO

U-21

D
Q  C 601/s
Q  C 2401/s
H  C 601/s
H  C 2401/s
H  E 301/s
H  E 1201/s

ND

2.98
1.76
1.89
1.28
2.50
2.42

(0.35)
(0.19)
(0.30)
(0.17)
(0.52)
(0.49)

2.94
1.80
1.76
1.31
2.51
2.47

U-17

D
(0.44)
(0.23)
(0.26)
(0.15)
(0.50)
(0.51)

ND

3.06
1.87
1.86
1.35
2.72
2.65

(0.44)
(0.19)
(0.39)
(0.22)
(0.59)
(0.47)

3.22
1.85
1.91
1.39
2.77
2.68

D
(0.49)
(0.26)
(0.35)
(0.25)
(0.63)
(0.36)

2.97
1.83
1.95
1.37
2.66
2.71

ND
(0.24)
(0.17)
(0.23)
(0.21)
(0.53)
(0.57)

3.09
1.88
1.92
1.34
2.90
2.82

(0.22)
(0.19)
(0.26)
(0.19)
(0.65)
(0.62)

Values are means (  SD)

Q, quadriceps; Fl, hamstring; C, concentric; E, eccentric.
Table 3. Conventional (C601/C601 and C2401/C2401) and mixed (E301/C2401) Fl/Q ratios for dominant (D) and non-dominant (ND) leg in professional
(PRO, n 5 19), U-21 (n 5 20) and U-17 (n 5 18) soccer players

PRO

Ratio C60/C60
Ratio C240/C240
Ratio E30/C240

U-21

U-17

ND

ND

ND

0.62 (0.07)
0.71 (0.16)
1.43 (0.26)

0.59 (0.07)
0.70 (0.15)
1.41 (0.23)

0.60 (0.07)
0.73 (0.12)
1.50 (0.29)

0.61 (0.08)
0.75 (0.17)
1.48 (0.26)

0.63 (0.07)
0.74 (0.15)
1.45 (0.26)

0.61 (0.08)
0.73 (0.13)
1.49 (0.31)

Values are means (  SD).

Q, quadriceps; Fl, hamstring; C, concentric; E, eccentric.

245

Lehance et al.
70

60

% of players

50
40
30
20
10
0
PRO (n=20)

U-21 (n=19)

U-17 (n=18)

All players (n=57)

Fig. 1. Muscular imbalance observed among professional

(PRO, n 5 19), under 21 (U-21, n 5 20) and under 17 (U-17,
n 5 18) soccer players and percentage of players combined
muscular imbalance and previous severe injury (PSI).
*po0.05.
57 players

Fig. 2. Muscular strength disorders among un-injuried and

previously injured players.

netic prole analysis (taking into consideration PT

bilateral dierences and exors/quadriceps ratios)
enabled the identication of 32 subjects (56%; see
Fig. 1), who had signicant strength disorders in at
least one of the following parameters: concentric
bilateral asymmetries (22 out of 32 players); eccentric bilateral asymmetries (23 out of 32 players);
concentric exor/quadriceps ratio (eight out of
32 players); and mixed eccentric exor/concentric
quadriceps ratio (two out of 32 players). Statistical
analysis (Pearsons w2-test) allowed us to observe
signicantly (Po0.05) more players presenting lower
limb muscular imbalance within the U-21 (58%) and
U-17 (61%) groups in comparison with the PRO
group (50%). Among all the players with muscular
imbalance, 23 out of 32 (72%) reported a past history
of lower limb injury (PRO: nine out of 10; U-21:
seven out of 11; U-17: seven out of 11).
Also, 63% (36/57) of the players were identied as
having sustained a previous major lower limb injury.
Of these 36 players, 23 subjects (64%) still showed
signicant Fl/Q imbalances and/or bilateral asymmetries through the isokinetic assessment (Fig. 2).
The PRO players ran faster over 10 m than the U-17
players (Po0.05), but no signicant dierences were
found between the PRO and U-21 groups or between
the U-21 and U-17 groups (Fig. 3). Concerning
vertical jump performance, the PRO subjects jumped
higher than the U-17 players (Po0.05) (Fig. 3).

246

Fig. 3. Mean (  SD) squat jump (SJ) and 10 meters sprint

time (10m) performances in professional (PRO, n 5 19), under
21 (U-21, n 5 20) and under 17 (U-17, n 5 18) soccer players.
*po0.05.
Table 4. Correlative coefficients between the characteristics of isokinetic
knee flexors and extensors muscular strength, vertical jumping and sprint
performances in soccer players (n 5 57)

Parameters

SJ

10 m

Q  C 601/s
Q  C 2401/s
Fl  C 601/s
Fl  C 2401/s
Fl  E 301/s
Fl  E 1201/s
Ratio C 60/C 60
Ratio C 240/C 240
Ratio E 30/C 240
SJ
10 m

0.45***
0.23
0.48***
0.42**
0.14
0.22
0.21
0.27
0.17
x

0.51***
0.28*
0.48***
0.46***
0.14
0.25
0.18
0.11
0.19
0.72***
x

*Po0.05.
**Po0.01.
***Po0.001.

Q, quadriceps; Fl, hamstring; C, concentric; E, eccentric; SJ, squat jump;

10 m 5 10 meters sprint.

Correlation coecients between functional performance and isokinetic data are displayed in Table 4.
The PT of knee exor and extensor muscles, evaluated at slow speed and in concentric mode, showed
correlations with SJ (respectively r 5 0.48; Po0.001
and r 5 0.45; Po0.01) and 10 m sprint time (respectively r 5 0.48; Po0.001 and r 5 0.51; Po0.001).
At 2401/s, isokinetic parameters presented signicant
relationships with SJ (r 5 0.42; Po0.001) and 10 m
(r 5 0.46; Po0.001). We also observed a strong
relationship between vertical jump and sprint performance (r 5 0.72; Po0.001).

Discussion
Muscular strength is one of the most important
components of physical performance in sport, in
terms of both high-level performance and injury
occurrence. As a factor contributing to success in
soccer, the quadriceps muscle plays a role in sprint-

Muscular strength in soccer players

ing, jumping and ball-kicking; and hamstring
contributes to the knee exion, which is a major
factor in stride power. In addition to their direct
contribution to athletic performance, the hamstring
muscles control the running activities and stabilize
the knee turns (Zakas et al., 1995). Quadriceps and
hamstring and the balance between their respective
strength performances may inuence sport-injury
occurrence (Croisier et al., 2005). Three elements
appear particularly interesting in the follow-up
of muscular force: to make sure of the absence of
asymmetry between the dominant and non-dominant
leg (or for asymmetric sport, to make sure that
certain limits not to be reached or over-passed to
that asymmetry), to make sure of a good balance
between exor and extensor knee muscles and nally
to check that the soccer player is located well within
the standards of his age category and within his level
of practice.
In the present study, the absolute PT values in
extensor muscles tested in concentric mode at 60 and
2401/s were signicantly dierent between the PRO
and U-17 groups. Also, the U-21 group presented
higher concentric isokinetic values than the U-17 group
at 601/s (Po0.05). However, for body mass normalized
parameters, no signicant dierences were noted
between our three groups. These results show the
importance of the morphological aspect in high-level
sport. When force is expressed according to body mass
(mb), we observe that at around 17 years of age, junior
elite soccer players are already close to their maximum
level of isokinetic force performance for both exor
and extensor knee muscles. When considering comparisons between the dierent groups of players, some
authors advise to consider comparisons according to
allometric scaling (Wislo et al., 1998; Chamari et al.,
2005). Strength and power variables expressed in
mb0.67 might provide results completely dierent than
classically expressed as to mb. We have applied such
procedure during our data analysis, yet it does not
inuence the results, in particular regarding statistical
signicance. Consequently, we have presented the
results expressed to mb, which allows us to make
comparisons with similar studies in the literature. In
a transverse study, Le Gall et al. (1999) reported that
relative PT values in exor and extensor muscles
increase, respectively, until between the ages of 16
and 21 before stabilization (Le Gall et al., 2002).
Concerning the PRO group, the isokinetic performance of exor and extensor knee muscles, evaluated
in concentric and eccentric modes, was shown to be
similar to that of French, Brazilian and Belgian rst
division soccer players but lower than that of the
French national teams soccer players (Le Gall et al.,
1999; Croisier et al., 2005).
In comparison with results presented by Le Gall
et al. (1999), the isokinetic performances of our U-21

and U-17 groups were inferior to that of French junior

elite soccer players. These results highlight the lack or
the unsuitability of strength and power training session
in the U-21 and U-17 Belgian groups.
Despite frequent contradictions in the literature
(Orchard et al., 1997; Bennell et al., 1998; Parkkari
et al., 2001), it may be assumed that muscle strength
and balance play a key role in targeted acute muscles
injuries (Croisier, 2004b). Some authors have shown
that persistent muscle performance abnormalities
may cause recurrent injuries and lingering discomfort
when the players resume sporting activities (Orchard,
2001; Croisier, 2004b) The pre-season isokinetic
evaluation showed that 56% of the players evaluated
in our study presented knee muscular strength imbalances. This result might appear high, taking into
account the reduced size of our sample, but our
results are in line with those presented by Croisier
et al. (2006). Our results also showed that, in 32
imbalanced players, 70% presented exor eccentric
bilateral asymmetries. The possession of strong hamstrings, particularly in eccentric mode, is an important requirement for playing soccer (Reilly & Doran,
2003). The knee exor muscles play an important
part during ball-striking in slowing down the extension of the leg on the thigh but also during dynamic
phases without the ball such as rapid accelerations,
decelerations, cutting and side-stepping manoeuvres.
According to Jonhagen et al. (1994), Croisier and
Crielaard (2000) conrmed the discriminating character of the eccentric assessment. The establishment
of a mixed Flecc/Qconc ratio, nearer to the biomechanical conditions involved in running, was initially
suggested by Dvir et al. (1989). The constructed ratio
proposed by Croisier and Crielaard (2000) combines
two extremely dierent velocities. Hamstring strains
usually occur during joint movement at high velocities. Thus, it is preferable to select the same high
isokinetic angular velocities for both muscle groups
to be tested (Croisier & Crielaard, 2000). Croisier
and Crielaard (2000) demonstrated no problems in
validity or accuracy of concentric measurements at
2401/s. However, the same authors described the
reduced validity of high eccentric velocities. Therefore, a low eccentric velocity (301/s) was selected by
Croisier and Crielaard (2000) to construct the mixed
Flecc/Qconc ratio. This choice also results from two
considerations: low speed is frequently recommended
to optimize familiarization conditions and the isokinetic eccentric torquevelocity curve in human
appears to remain essentially constant (Croisier &
Crielaard, 2000).
In a recent study, Croisier et al. (2005) veried
whether pre-season isokinetic muscle testing could
identify soccer players at risk of subsequent hamstring muscle strain (Croisier et al., 2005). As part of
the study, 617 soccer players from professional teams

247

Lehance et al.
in France, Belgium and Brazil beneted from preseason isokinetic testing. Thereafter, players were
followed for 9 months throughout the subsequent
competitive season and hamstring muscle injuries
were recorded. Of the 435 players who beneted
from a complete follow-up, 37 sustained a hamstring
injury causing them to miss more than 4 weeks of
playing time. The risk factor of hamstring injury for
one season signicantly diered according to the preseason isokinetic prole and the presence or absence
of strength disorder management. This index was set
at 4.1% in the context of a normal isokinetic prole,
16.5% in the presence of strength imbalance without
any compensative treatment and 6.3% in the presence of strength imbalance that had been successfully treated (Croisier et al., 2005). Isokinetic
intervention, as a pre-season screening tool in professional soccer players, contributes to a preventive
strategy for the hamstring muscle group and the
correction of pre-season muscle imbalance allows
for a signicant reduction in the risk of subsequent
muscle strain (Croisier et al., 2005, 2006). The injury
risk in professional soccer is high and regularly
entails absence from competitive participation by
the injured player. The decision as to when a player
is considered fully rehabilitated after injury remains
classically subjective, especially after muscular strain
injury (Croisier et al., 2005, 2006). In our study,
36/57 (63%) players were identied as having sustained a previous major lower limb injury. Of these
36 players, 23 subjects (64%) still showed signicant
Fl/Q imbalances and/or bilateral asymmetries
through the isokinetic assessment. Our results are
similar to those presented in a recent work by
Croisier et al. (2006). These authors revealed, in a
study screening 617 professional soccer players, that
after an injury, 65% of players returned to play
despite serious muscle strength disorder. There is
something lacking in standard return to play criteria
as well as questionable options in professional soccer
player treatment and rehabilitation injury (Croisier
et al., 2006). As with other authors (Croisier et al.,
2002), we emphasize the role of an isokinetic intervention for muscle performance assessment before
return to play after a major lower limb injury.
More worryingly, we counted signicantly more
players with muscular asymmetries within the U-21
and U-17 groups in comparison with the PRO group.
This is unacceptable and we might ask the following questions: Does not the specic practice of increasingly early soccer involvement put youth and
junior elite players at risk of strength disorders? Is the
follow-up of the junior elite soccer players adequate in
terms of physical training and injury prevention? What
are the criteria for resumption of play after an injury?
Specic training of the hamstring muscle group is
not usually undertaken by professional soccer

248

players (Croisier, 2004b), although it is likely that

players would benet from power-training sessions
(notably dedicated to the knee extensors). It is well
known that the maximal strength of the mobilizing
muscle groups inuences sports performance and the
optimization of sports-related dynamic movement
may require an increase in strength for specic
synergistic muscle groups (Croisier, 2004b). Induced
training modications regularly disrupt the normal
balance between agonists and antagonists. Finally,
the issue of strength and balance should concern
the physical coach as well as the medical sta.
New trends in rational training could focus more
on the risk of imbalance and could implement
antagonist strengthening aimed at injury prevention
(Croisier, 2004b). Such an intervention would benet
not only athletes recovering from injury but also
uninjured players.
The PRO players ran faster over 10 m than the
U-17 players (Po0.05). Cometti et al. (2001) showed
that French soccer players from D1 and D2 ran
faster than amateur players, conrming the ndings
of Bangsbo et al. (1991). Le Gall et al. (1999)
reported that speed increases in relation to age and
becomes maximal at the age of 20. Most commonly,
the sprint starting position corresponds to split
standing start (e.g., lead left foot on start line, right
leg back). The background of soccer activity decided
us to amend the classical procedure and, in this work,
we selected an unusual position: both feet parallel to
the start line. The starting position parallel feet often
meets in specic gesture during soccer activity. We
are aware that this choice deprives us from comparing with other studies. Nevertheless, we highlighted
correlations between sprinting performances and
other variables, especially vertical jump (Po0.001).
The most common measurement of vertical jumping
performance is jumping height (Paasuke et al., 2001).
This variable depends on the physiological processes
that take place in the muscular and nervous systems,
as well as biomechanical factors (Bosco et al., 1982).
The present study indicated that PRO players
jumped signicantly higher in SJ compared with
U-17 players. For the PRO group, our SJ values were
consistent with those found in other studies (Cometti
et al., 2001; Dauty et al., 2002). Comparatively with
French soccer players of the same age and practice
level, the examples of performance shown by our
U-21 and U-17 with the SJ were lower by 10%
(Le Gall et al., 2002). The dierences in performance
observed between the PRO and U-17 groups can be
explained by the fact that PRO performances are
similar to those of elite soccer players from other
countries while our U-17 group shows to be under
the level of their age counterparts in other countries.
Also, the specicity of certain training sessions can
explain the dierence of vertical jump performances

Muscular strength in soccer players

between PRO and U-17 groups. For Cometti et al.
(2001), soccer practice may represent an inadequate
training stimulus for developing jumping ability, and
systematic plyometric programmes should therefore
be implemented. The ability of the leg extensor
muscles to develop force rapidly has a marked inuence on vertical jump performance. Vertical jumping
is a multi-joint movement and requires intra- and
inter-muscular coordination, which describes the ability of the muscle engaged in the movement. It has been
shown that explosive strength training is oriented
toward optimizing intra- and inter-muscular coordination (Bosco et al., 1982).
The present study indicated that, in the U-21 and
U-17 groups, players had a lower level of maximal
knee extension strength in comparison with elite
players, also associated with a lower ability to rapidly
develop force.
We highlighted correlations between isokinetic
exor and extensor muscle strength and anaerobic
power performance. Sprint running is a fundamental
activity for many sports and can be viewed as
consisting of a number of components such as the
start, acceleration and maximum speed phase (Young
et al., 1995). A recent study reported that 96% of
sprint bouts during a soccer game are shorter than
30 m, with 49% being o10 m (Wislo et al., 2004).
These results were conrmed in a recent work by
Mohr et al. (2003), thus underlining the importance of
the start and the acceleration phase. In the present
study, signicant relationships were found between
isokinetic concentric knee exor and extensor muscles
strength and 10 m sprint time performance. The importance of muscular strength qualities for sprinting is
not clear. Several studies have reported signicant
correlations between strength measures and speed
(Mero et al., 1981; Mero, 1985; Young et al., 1995),
while others have reported low and non-signicant
relationships (Farrar & Thorland, 1987; Cometti et
al., 2001). It is possible that such a discrepancy results
from variations in the samples studied with respect to
age, gender and performance level (Young et al.,
1995). Several authors have demonstrated relationships between isokinetic muscular strength and
vertical jumping performance (Bosco et al., 1983;
Wiklander & Lysholm, 1987; Wilson & Murphy,
1995; Jameson et al., 1997; Petschnig et al., 1998;
Paasuke et al., 2001). In contrast with the ndings of
Cometti et al. (2001), our investigations showed that,
in soccer players, vertical jumping height in SJ was
correlated with isokinetic knee extension and exion
PT at angular velocities of 601/s. However, the PRO
group presented moderate correlations between maximal strength and anaerobic power performance.
Moreover, no relationship was observed in the U-17
and U-21 groups between isokinetic strength and
vertical jumping height.

Strong correlations were shown to exist between

sprinting and jumping performance (Po0.001).
Previous studies have also shown signicant correlations between speed and various measurements of
vertical jumping (Baker & Bell, 1994; Wislo et al.,
2004). The results of this study conrm that correlations exist between maximal strength, jumping and
sprinting performance in elite soccer players. We
observed that the professional soccer players diered
from the U-17 players in terms of knee extensor
muscle strength, vertical jumping and sprinting performance. This could be interpreted as a result of the
adaptation to specic long-term explosive type of
strength training. Also, this investigation did
not reveal signicant dierences between PRO and
U-21 player performance, and relationships were
found between muscular isokinetic strength, vertical
jumping and 10 m sprint performance.
In conclusion, elite soccer is a complicated sport
placing great demands on the players. However, the
present study suggests that muscular strength and
anaerobic power may be as important for performance as for injury prevention. The role of sports
science in helping to identify soccer talent needs to be
considered. The identication of players with good
anaerobic power potential helps to ensure that
these young players receive specialized coaching
and training to accelerate the process of talent
development. Furthermore, new trends in rational
training could focus more on the risk entailed in
muscle strength imbalance and could implement
antagonist strengthening aimed at injury prevention.
Such an intervention would be of benet not only to
athletes recovering from injury but also to uninjured
players. An interdisciplinary approach involving
trainers, a physical coach, and medical sta would
be of interest to consider in implementing a preventive programme.

Perspectives
In this study, we highlighted a high rate of players as
having sustained a previous major lower limb injury,
especially among junior elite soccer players. Furthermore, 64% of the previously injured players still
showed muscular imbalance representing a risk factor to undergo another injury. The next step is to
investigate through a prospective epidemiological
study over one or two competitive seasons the rate
of muscular strains, especially among the players
from U-17 and U-21 groups who presented knee
muscular strength imbalance.
Key words: muscular strength, vertical jump, sprint,
muscular imbalance, injury prevention.

249

Lehance et al.
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