If there’s one thing football fans can always be thankful for, it’s the constant development of the game. Each year, new developments that shake the core of our understanding of how the game should be played become viral trends before the next development. Two years ago, we saw a rise of the three-box-three shape, and as a result, we saw an increase in the efficiency of low-blocks to counter teams that built up with a box midfield. This year has seen a return to the gegenpressing style that made Jürgen Klopp so feared in the 2010s, which ironically comes just after his retirement from management. 

On youtube, if you search up “soccer tactics,” you’ll find videos that are merely days old analyzing the tactics of important matches. In no other sport would you find this amount of constant analysis. One video could be about Arne Slot and the next one about Pep Guardiola’s collapse.

Yet, despite the constant evolution of how we view the beautiful game, it’s still just, in principle, 22 people, 11 on each time, kicking a ball around until it reaches the net. Kids don’t care about  out-of-possession shapes or half-spaces; they are inspired by the incredible pace of Mbappe or the skills of Lionel Messi. 

For some, as they get older, the underlying numbers and statistics begin to pop out. Measuring performance can be satisfying; it fills the gaps our eyes can’t fill. It also develops further discussion. 

Point is, there’s room for everyone in football. Some kids, after realizing they will probably never become professional footballers, go down other paths in the football world. They’ll become the next generation of pundits, coaches, managers, and journalists, Others will find a way to keep on playing at the amateur or semi-pro level, simply to keep football as an important aspect of their life. And who knows? Maybe they get their chance at the pro level some day. 

That, at the end of the day, is football’s biggest blessing. It’s the inspiration, the love, the triumph, the discourse, the suffering, all of it compiled in 90 minutes. Football is something so simple yet intricate. It has the ability to make us feel something. It’s a distraction to what troubles us and can be the thing that pulls communities together through tough times. This Thanksgiving weekend is an opportunity for all of us to be thankful of what football has given to us and what it will continue to give us, because each year, there will be something new to discuss as the game keeps developing to new heights.