There’s no doubt that a player who identifies with the club we support and brings victories and titles tends to become more beloved by the fans. However, that affection usually remains limited to supporters of their own team. Because of rivalries, few athletes manage to inspire admiration that goes beyond club boundaries.
Extraordinary players like Ronaldinho, Messi, Ronaldo, and Cristiano Ronaldo stand out not only for their talent and skill but also for their visibility and relatively low level of controversy.
Unfortunately, most fans are unaware of the social initiatives and community projects many players are involved in, efforts that could have a major influence on winning people’s hearts beyond the pitch.
100% this. And what’s wild is that clubs and brands have fully caught on to it. When a single player can drive jersey sales across continents, spike a club’s Instagram following overnight, or sell out a stadium tour in a city where the sport barely has roots, that’s not just fandom anymore, that’s a commercial force.
Gen Z’s edit culture and clip consumption essentially works as free marketing at a scale no ad budget could replicate. Sponsors know it, broadcasters know it, and honestly the clubs that are thriving right now are the ones that understood early on that they weren’t just selling football, they were selling a personality, a story, a player people feel connected to.
It’s why you see signings now being treated like big drops. The engagement economy around a single footballer is genuinely insane when you break it down.
Yes! But I do think this is still underexplored by many brands and clubs - even by athletes themselves. If we talk about women's football, the gap is more evident. Lots of opportunities yet to be unlocked.
Yes to all of this! Your love for Jackson Irvine is my love for Héctor Bellerín. He's not on any of my teams, or playing in a league I follow closely, but after hearing him talk about his politics in on one of my favorite podcasts I started following him, his brand, fashion, etc. We're lucky to find the gems outside of the players we adore as part of our teams.
The purpose and performance tends for me to be seen in players from countries that culturally value conservativeness and or players who have strong religious values. For me an example of this is Ricardo Kaka and recently retired Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, both strong performers, leaders and outspoken Christians
Well, the article is sprinkled with a few names already, haha 👀. And I truly can't think of anyone for the purpose-only circle. I'd love to hear your list, though!
Hi Heloisa, I think from a personality and purpose perspective, Ian Wright has steadily grown into our consciousness and if you're old enough to have seen him play (admittedly I am not) one could argue that his performances bring him right into the centre of the diagram. That being said, I think he played in an era where outside of the playing pitch and deliberate TV excerpts, there wasn't much opportunity to show your personality.
Hector Bellerin was a great forerunner of the personality and purpose intersection. He expressed his personality and affinity for fashion very early on and never shied away from issues close to his heart. Unfortunately the injuries and inconsistencies in performances robbed him of opportunity for a more widespread impact.
I believe that as we are in an era of widespread social media use for both exposure of self and ability to engage in advocacy on a large and public scale, there is going to be an increase in the need for high profile performances at a consistent level to buttress the other 2 factors in a players reach. Marcus Rashford has shown this both early on in his career and now. He's got serious Lewis Hamilton vibes!
Such a brilliant perspective! So much of global fandom is based on emotion, not merely stats. Rashford's case shows how fans are able to recognize themselves in his journey. That human echo is rare and worth protecting. And I like your Venn diagram too!
Excellent point!
There’s no doubt that a player who identifies with the club we support and brings victories and titles tends to become more beloved by the fans. However, that affection usually remains limited to supporters of their own team. Because of rivalries, few athletes manage to inspire admiration that goes beyond club boundaries.
Extraordinary players like Ronaldinho, Messi, Ronaldo, and Cristiano Ronaldo stand out not only for their talent and skill but also for their visibility and relatively low level of controversy.
Unfortunately, most fans are unaware of the social initiatives and community projects many players are involved in, efforts that could have a major influence on winning people’s hearts beyond the pitch.
Great piece. The thesis holds up on my side. Your triad totally makes sense!
Thanks for the comment! Glad it makes sense for you too, ha.
100% this. And what’s wild is that clubs and brands have fully caught on to it. When a single player can drive jersey sales across continents, spike a club’s Instagram following overnight, or sell out a stadium tour in a city where the sport barely has roots, that’s not just fandom anymore, that’s a commercial force.
Gen Z’s edit culture and clip consumption essentially works as free marketing at a scale no ad budget could replicate. Sponsors know it, broadcasters know it, and honestly the clubs that are thriving right now are the ones that understood early on that they weren’t just selling football, they were selling a personality, a story, a player people feel connected to.
It’s why you see signings now being treated like big drops. The engagement economy around a single footballer is genuinely insane when you break it down.
Yes! But I do think this is still underexplored by many brands and clubs - even by athletes themselves. If we talk about women's football, the gap is more evident. Lots of opportunities yet to be unlocked.
Yes to all of this! Your love for Jackson Irvine is my love for Héctor Bellerín. He's not on any of my teams, or playing in a league I follow closely, but after hearing him talk about his politics in on one of my favorite podcasts I started following him, his brand, fashion, etc. We're lucky to find the gems outside of the players we adore as part of our teams.
Love this. Sounds like a perfect evidence of the scientific study, lol.
Thanks for sharing 🙏🏻
Absolutely excellent. I am curious, would you indulge us with your version of which footballer aptly fits in each description on your Venn diagram?
The purpose and performance tends for me to be seen in players from countries that culturally value conservativeness and or players who have strong religious values. For me an example of this is Ricardo Kaka and recently retired Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, both strong performers, leaders and outspoken Christians
Well, the article is sprinkled with a few names already, haha 👀. And I truly can't think of anyone for the purpose-only circle. I'd love to hear your list, though!
Hi Heloisa, I think from a personality and purpose perspective, Ian Wright has steadily grown into our consciousness and if you're old enough to have seen him play (admittedly I am not) one could argue that his performances bring him right into the centre of the diagram. That being said, I think he played in an era where outside of the playing pitch and deliberate TV excerpts, there wasn't much opportunity to show your personality.
Hector Bellerin was a great forerunner of the personality and purpose intersection. He expressed his personality and affinity for fashion very early on and never shied away from issues close to his heart. Unfortunately the injuries and inconsistencies in performances robbed him of opportunity for a more widespread impact.
I believe that as we are in an era of widespread social media use for both exposure of self and ability to engage in advocacy on a large and public scale, there is going to be an increase in the need for high profile performances at a consistent level to buttress the other 2 factors in a players reach. Marcus Rashford has shown this both early on in his career and now. He's got serious Lewis Hamilton vibes!
Spot on in every count Heloisa; loved reading this.
Thank you so much for the kind comment! Glad you liked it.
Such a great viewpoint! Good piece.
Thank you so much!
Good read! I presume you are next going to publish this study in a scientific journal? 🙂
Yes and I might prepare an extended version for that- maybe the chemistry behind disliking footballers? 🤔
Such a brilliant perspective! So much of global fandom is based on emotion, not merely stats. Rashford's case shows how fans are able to recognize themselves in his journey. That human echo is rare and worth protecting. And I like your Venn diagram too!
Thank you for your kind comment, Kwame! Totally agree that it's worth protecting the human echo; you put it beautifully.
Thank you!
Thanks for the link! I also have a soft spot in my heart for soccer players so this was especially fun 💕
Ahh! So glad you enjoyed the read, and such a good surprise to see your comment here! 💜