Neuropsychophysiological Aspects of Soccer Performance: A Bibliometric Analysis and Narrative Review

Abstract

In recent years, there has been growing scientific interest in the neuropsychophysiological aspects of soccer performance. The purpose of this study was to conduct a bibliometric analysis to identify and review key topics within the neuropsychophysiological dimensions of soccer performance and identify any research voids that warrant further attention. We retrieved 192 documents from the Scopus database and anayzed the extracted data using VOSviewer software to conduct a bibliometric analysis. We applied both performance analysis techniques (including the number of documents per year, top 20 authors by citations, and top 15 sources by documents) and science mapping analysis (co-authorship, bibliographic coupling, co-citation, and co-occurrence). The co-occurrence analysis identified three main clusters of research themes. The first cluster focused on the relationship between physical performance and cognitive factors, the second on technical-tactical performance, and the third on health and well-being. Our findings emphasize the significant role of neuropsychophysiological factors in all aspects of soccer performance. We highlight the importance of integrating cognitive and physical training to enhance player performance and underscore the need for further research to deepen our understanding of these relationships.