Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part A (2025)

The cognitive makeup of soccer players encompasses a variety of mental skills crucial for their performance on the field. Among these cognitive flexibility may have a role in performance levels. The present study aims to compare cognitive flexibility of elite and sub-elite male soccer players and draw comparison. To conduct the study, 50 elite male soccer players were selected. These elite players were chosen based on specific criteria: they had to be part of the top three ranked teams in the national level tournament. The age range for the selection of elite male soccer players was set between 18 and 25 years old. Similarly, 50 sub-elite male soccer players were selected from the bottom three ranked teams in the same tournaments. The process of selecting these players involved purposive sampling. To assess cognitive flexibility, a scale constructed by Martin and Rubin (1995) ^[3] was used. It was found that the cognitive flexibility in male elite soccer players was significantly better than the male sub-elite soccer players. It was concluded that the male elite soccer players exhibit significantly higher cognitive flexibility compared to sub-elite male soccer players, thereby proving the cognitive demands of top-level performance in soccer.