Dwn the book going good but let me give you a real life example.
I am coaching children 3-5 yrs old football.
Many of them cant even walk some start at 2.5 yrs old still in pampers. Most of the exercises they do for the first time and they are just discovering their bodies and motor skills...standing on one foot, jumpin, walking to the side balance etc.
I would agree that at the end of the season all of them are proficient enough to do the exercises...granted I do not know what they do during the week and if any of them practice, but you do see improvements in each session.
But amongst the group a disparity exists between who doing it smoother, faster, easier, more comfortable etc.
Now over the three or so yrs that I have been doing this every season ....there will be one child, who will just make you say WOW...so advanced over all his/her peers and doing things for the first time with ease and comfort that big children cant do.
There is a little expat child close to three...the youth in pampers and could strike a ball clean, harder than most, both feet, volley, moving ball, trapping, the timing everything spot on and the parents say....he just so from birth. He could play cricket, tennis, golf everything, catch a ball, ...he just has an ability.
My point is, he is too young to be able to put any sort of time or dedication into his new activities. The toddler just is able to do these actions....I think while what I have read has merit, "Specialness" or "Talent" is a real thing and you are able to see it easily.
The Pele's, maradonnas, Zidanes and Messi's no doubt trained hard to reach where they reach but from small they had a level that training cyar make yuh reach no matter how good a student you are.
The point is not so much that specialness and talent aren't real. The point is more that you can't really define what it is and it won't differentiate who makes it to the top from those who won't - hence the overrated tag. What you saying not really contradicting anything in the book, except for that last part. As you keep reading, let me know what you think.
But regarding your example, because that youth is showing more ability now, he is more likely to be the one that is sent to the better coaching school and given more attention and guidance, and that will snowball into him being a much better footballer than the other other youths. He will also get more positive reinforcement that makes him enjoy playing football more, and hence continue playing it for longer.
However lets say one of those youths who cant kick a ball for nothing turn out to be real persistent and get better coaching and guidance throughout his childhood and have a better work ethic than the expat youth, by the time they are 18 he will be more likely to be a better footballer - despite the difference in ability they showed at age 3-5. (obviously is not that simple but that's the idea)
also, if you read a lot of biographies of world class athletes there always seems to be stories of some other player who was better or at the level when they were young and is now working in an office somewhere.
agree, and to further the above points, i old enuff to have seen kids similarly at an early age, demostrate such early skill levels, and grown into total non-athletes, due to loss of interest, mental rejection or some other issues... however, the talent was there...What may seem as inexplainable, could also be due to generation transference..thus they might seemed to have been born with it, but in fact it could be genetic, sometimes even skipping a generation, wherby you would hear reference "he runs..etc..just like his grand-dad", amny studies do not account for that, as factual research is rarely acquired across generations, only visual and memmory if lucky...thus yes, they could have been born with it
and there are the late bloomers who demonstrated no 'skill' until a particular time in their maturity, and just seem to appear suddenly....but studies have shown, it could also have been the same with their previous generations as well
add: Darwin et al
Good example would be Julius James. If you saw Julius play football when he was 13 you would be surprised. The man was a BEGINNER. That said, he had a lot of belief in his ability to get better.
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had the same thought after the game. expect it.
- I think young Brazilians are better off continuing their football education in Brazil and move overseas 21 and up. I think they go to Europe at a young age and their football instincts get jammed due to attempts to change how they play. 
). But the point is that person would be the one who would pick it up easier, because of some sort of developmental difference, rather than through some sort of innate talent. Also, because your physical attributes develop differently when you're a child, the person who doesn't pick it up as easy will have a much harder time developing that coordination later in life.