A football CV is not a poster and it is not a biography. It is a decision document. Its job is to help a coach, scout, academy or club understand who you are, where you have played and whether there is enough evidence to continue the conversation.
Make the first screen decisive
The top section should immediately show the player’s name, primary and secondary positions, date of birth or age, nationality, current location, dominant foot, height and current club. Contact information should be easy to find without competing with the football information.
Use one strong, current football photograph. Heavy graphics, oversized logos and decorative ratings waste space unless they help a recruiter assess the player.
Build a verifiable career record
- List clubs, academies and teams in reverse chronological order.
- State the season, age group, competition and role for each entry.
- Include meaningful appearances, minutes or statistics only when they can be supported.
- Separate formal registrations from trials, camps and informal training experiences.
- Add coach or club references only with their permission.
Describe the player without inventing claims
A short playing profile should explain the player’s role, strengths and typical actions on the pitch. ‘Fast, skilful and hardworking’ says almost nothing. ‘Right-footed full-back who supports the build-up, overlaps consistently and defends aggressively in wide areas’ is more useful because it describes observable behaviour.
Do not assign self-created ratings out of 100. If performance data or independent assessment exists, identify its source and context.
Connect the document to evidence
- Provide a direct link to a concise highlight video.
- Keep full-match footage available when requested.
- Use working links that open without login or access requests.
- Label the competition, opponent, date and shirt number where possible.
- Keep the CV and video information consistent.
Keep it usable
For most players, one or two pages are enough. The file should remain readable on a phone, export cleanly as a PDF and use a professional filename. Every update should preserve the same visual and information structure so that new achievements can be added without redesigning the document.
A strong football CV is concise, specific and verifiable. Design supports the evidence; it cannot replace it.