The concept of talent captivates both academics and practitioners in sports. Coaches, scouts, and other stakeholders evaluate players, aiming to identify and develop talent. Academic research is particularly drawn to it due to the challenges in defining it clearly. Yet, talent remains one of the greatest mysteries in both sports and sports science. A fuller understanding of talent, which this thesis aims to advance, comes with an implicit promise to address practical issues in talent identification and development and possibly clarifying its true nature. ...