Does cognition play a role in injury prevention and return to play in the elite football player? A perspective from the field

Abstract Football matches expose players to high cognitive demands, require various mental skills and subsequently trigger decisions and physical reactions. Potential stressful athletic situations such as this can contribute to increased injury risk. If we could be able to introduce strategies to reduce the risk of incurring an injury, accelerate the recovery time after an injury or reduce the re-injury risk in football players then, this can contribute greatly to the performance of the individual and the team.