Facial structure of World Cup football players predicts goals, fouls: study

Before he even puts on that grimacing "game face," the physical makeup of a soccer player's face says a lot about his likelihood of scoring goals, making assists and committing fouls, according to a new study from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The team studied the facial width to height ratio (FWHR) of 1,000 players from 32 countries who competed in the 2010 World Cup to find some surprising conclusions.

Midfielders -- whose play alternates between the offense and the defense -- as well as offense-leading forwards have a higher likelihood of committing fouls if they have higher FWHRs.

Forwards with higher FWHRs were also more likely to score goals and make assists.

To calculate FWHR, researchers took the distance between the cheekbones and divided it by the distance between the mid-brow and the upper lip.

Facial football

Players with high FWHR like the one on the right could be more likely to score goals and commit fouls, according to new research. - Photo source: Dr. Keith Welker

Facial football

Netherlands' striker Arjen Robben during the the 2010 FIFA football World Cup final. - AFPRelax Photo/Thomas Coex

Although the project is thought to be the first to study FWHR in relation to athletes, past research has associated high FWHR with more aggressive behavior leading to both positive and negative conclusions. It ultimately correlates with success among business leaders and motivation among US presidents.

Scientists say its possible these men have high FWHR due to early exposure to testosterone, which not only alters bone structure and cranial shape, according to Keith Welker, a postdoctoral researcher at the CU-Boulder Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the lead author of the paper, but also could make them more aggressive.

The study was published in the journal Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology.