Impact of body size, relative age, and human development index on the participation of Brazilian soccer players in the UEFA Champions League

The present study investigated the effects of body size, relative age (RA), and human development index (HDI) on the professional rise of Brazilian soccer players playing in Europe. The sample consisted of 309 Brazilian players in the top 10 European leagues, according to the ranking of UEFA club coefficients. The data were collected on the official websites of the clubs, and professional advancement was classified according to the level of participation in the European championships. Spearman's Correlation and Multinomial Logistic Regression tests (p d >> 0.05) were applied. Players born in the 2nd quarter of the year, as well as those born in the 3rd quarter, have the chance to play the Champions League, compared to the Europa League, increased by 84% and 67%, respectively, compared to those born in the 4th quarter (p = 0.01). In addition, it was identified that for every 1 cm of height, the chances of the player acting in a lower level team increased by 7% (p = 0.03). It is concluded that the RA and body size influence the professional rise of Brazilian soccer players working in Europe, while the HDI of the place of birth has limited impact on the level of competition disputed by these players.