Professor Hassane Zouhal (PhD) is a senior sport scientist and exercise physiologist whose work bridges elite football practice and long-term academic research. He is a Full Professor (Professeur des Universités) at Université Rennes 2, a role he has held since September 1995, and is widely recognised for sustained contributions to applied sport science, with research output that has been acknowledged through inclusion in the world’s top 2% of scientists. Alongside his university leadership, he has worked as a scientific advisor in soccer science, including collaboration with Stade Rennais FC (Rennes Football Club, France) and other high-performance organisations, bringing evidence-informed methods into applied football environments.
His academic pathway is rooted at Université Rennes 2, where he completed a PhD in Exercise Physiology, strengthening a career-long focus on how physiology, growth, and performance profiling can inform better coaching and development decisions. Across his professional profile, his practical affiliations include Université Rennes 2, Stade Rennais FC, and the French Football Federation, reflecting experience that spans both club and federation structures.
Within ISSPF, Professor Zouhal’s content focus centres on the morphological and physiological profiles of young soccer players, using research and applied monitoring to help practitioners understand what “developmental readiness” can look like across growth stages. A core theme of his work is talent identification in soccer, particularly how staff can combine anthropometrics, maturation status, physical performance markers, and contextual interpretation to improve selection decisions, reduce bias in youth recruitment, and better support long-term player development pathways. He delivers this content with an applied lens, linking profiling data to training design, position-specific demands, and the realities of academy-to-elite transitions. Professor Zouhal speaks French and English.
Find Us on WhatsApp
Are you passionate about football and eager to learn from the best in the game? Join our WhatsApp Community today!
Connect with football coaches, performance analysts, and sports science professionals, sharing knowledge, tips, and the latest insights in football performance.