The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word PASSING
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
P
A
S
S
I
N
G
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Skill of footballers/succeeding" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case skill of footballers/succeeding = passing.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does PASSING mean?
PASSING verb- To change place.
- To change in state or status
- To move through time.
- To be accepted.
- In any game, to decline to play in one's turn.
- To do or be better.
- To take heed.
- Death, dying; the end of something.
- The fact of going past; a movement from one place to another or a change from one state to another.
- The act of approving a bill etc.
- The act of passing a ball etc. to another player.
- A form of juggling where several people pass props between each other, usually clubs or rings.
- The ability of a person to be regarded as a member of an identity group or category different from their own.
- That passes away; ephemeral.
- Pre-eminent, excellent, extreme.
- Vague, cursory.
- Going past.
- Surpassingly, greatly.