Brazil's hidden World Cup asset trained the team on when to disregard it.
The data indicated that he wasn't running enough, while the footage showed he was consistently positioned in the “ideal tactical spot.”
Brazil boasts more World Cup titles than any other nation, totaling five championships, but after five consecutive tournaments without a new title, the team is heavily relying on data this time.
Each player wears a “smart vest” equipped with sensors that track their field position (using GPS), heart rate, and a statistic known as “player load,” similar to the metrics provided by your Whoop band or Apple Watch, but specifically tailored to soccer.
So, what do these smart vests actually measure?
The vests are worn underneath the jersey, and Brazil utilizes them across its men’s, women’s, and youth teams. Each club transmits match or practice data back to the national team daily.
This allows sports science chief Guilherme Passos to monitor various metrics such as sprint speeds, fatigue levels, and hamstring rehabilitation, not only for the national team but also for players located around the globe.
The smart vests remain on during World Cup matches as well, aiding in determining which players require rest between games. Here’s the interesting twist:
Passos highlighted a player who covered approximately 3.7 miles per match, about half the distance of their teammates. By the numbers, this player appeared to be underperforming.
Why was data nearly responsible for benching one of Brazil’s players?
However, upon reviewing the video footage, coaches discovered that the player, in Passos's words, was consistently in the right position, effectively executing his tactical role (according to BBC).
The player’s identity remains undisclosed for obvious reasons, but the key takeaway here is that performing better on the field doesn’t necessarily correlate with running more, and the most intelligent player might generate the least exciting smart vest data.
This phenomenon isn't exclusive to Brazil. FIFA approved GPS vest systems for official matches in 2015. Most of the 48 teams participating in this World Cup are employing similar technologies from companies like Catapult and STATSports, the same brands behind numerous consumer fitness devices.
This year, FIFA has embraced the data trend even further with Football AI Pro, a tool developed with Lenovo. It employs machine learning to evaluate match data and provide immediate insights to coaches and players.
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Brazil's hidden World Cup asset trained the team on when to disregard it.
Brazil's GPS vests nearly sidelined a star player due to inaccurate data. This is the reason the figures were flawed.