FIFA’s growing focus on individual celebrity within football reveals a fundamental tension at the heart of the sport. Recent events at the Club World Cup, especially the way players are introduced individually before matches, highlight a disconnect between the organization’s approach and the essence of football as a team game.
Traditionally, football teams walk onto the pitch side by side, symbolizing unity and collective effort. This shared ritual underscores the sport’s nature as a contest between two cohesive units, not a parade of individual stars. However, FIFA’s shift towards spotlighting players one by one, akin to swimmers before an Olympic final, seems more like a spectacle designed to fuel celebrity culture than an authentic celebration of the team sport. It raises questions about who benefits from this approach and whether it truly enhances the fan experience.
This emphasis on individual stars ties into a broader trend in football marketing, where the game’s narrative increasingly centers on personalities rather than teams. The pursuit of iconic players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, sometimes at the expense of sporting merit or team cohesion, reflects a short-term strategy prioritizing commercial appeal and media attention over competitive integrity. For instance, qualifying arrangements for the Club World Cup were reportedly manipulated to ensure Messi’s Inter Miami participated, despite the club’s mediocre standing in the MLS. Such moves may boost immediate interest but risk undermining the competition’s credibility and long-term growth.
The celebrity-driven approach also feeds into players’ own ambitions, with many prioritizing individual accolades such as the Ballon d’Or over collective achievements. This shift in mindset was once surprising, but has become normalized, influencing transfer decisions and career goals. The rise of individual branding has turned players into marketable assets, sometimes overshadowing the sport’s core values of teamwork and shared success.
Paradoxically, while football’s marketing leans heavily on individual stars, advances in data analytics emphasize team performance and cohesion. Modern football has seen the best teams become more integrated and tactically sophisticated than ever before, with success often hinging on collective effort rather than solo brilliance. Clubs like Paris Saint-Germain illustrate this tension: early strategies focused on assembling superstar names failed to deliver European glory, whereas more recent investments in hungry, developing players who function well as a unit brought them closer to major titles.
This tension is also visible at Real Madrid, where an insistence on assembling a squad of galácticos has sometimes led to imbalance and inconsistent results. Meanwhile, Manchester City, lauded for their team-oriented style, have enjoyed remarkable success but lack the same global celebrity status.
Ultimately, the question remains: what defines success in modern football? Is it trophies, money, fame, or individual star power? FIFA’s fascination with individual walk-ons and celebrity culture seems to blur these lines further, demonstrating an ongoing struggle to appreciate football first and foremost as a team sport.
