In the third world, children grow up with a soccer ball (or some facsimile of a ball) at their feet. From the time they can walk, they have 5000 hrs/year of soccer skill development.

U.S. kids a) go to school, b) play games on computers/phones/gaming devices, c) play sports. Of the U.S. kids that play sports, only some play soccer. And even the most dedicated players get *maybe* 500 hrs/year in.

The U.S. has a pool of 10,000 18-year-olds per year with 10,000 hrs of soccer under their belt. Third world countries have a pool of 300,000 18 yo's per year with 100,000 hrs of soccer.

Read the book "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell.