The perils of being a young something in football

“I prefer to win titles with the team ahead of individual awards or scoring more goals than anyone else. I'm more worried about being a good person than being the best football player in the world. When all this is over, what are you left with? When I retire, I hope I am remembered for being a decent guy.”

— Lionel Messi (4-time FIFA Ballon d’Or winner)

These words were uttered by the Barcelona superstar, who needs no introduction in the world of football, serving as a role model for millions of young footballers to aspire to. Team before self has always been the most important ideology in football. With the passage of time, footballers are imbibed with principles of team before self, till it is an integral part of the footballers DNA. Football as an industry has a huge turnover ratio in terms of youth players. Though only a few make it to the top and the spotlight.

Time and again it has been brutally proved that there is no place to hide for a footballer when the going is against you. Overshadowed by contract negotiations and rejections, Liverpool’s season seems to be in freefall after the FA cup semi-final defeat. The ongoing issue as to how the clubs are protecting their young stars are dominating front-page news instead of performances. Liverpool are already out of contention for the title race and are unlikely to make it into the top four as well, so it is important that as a club, it holds onto its prime assets.

Young Players and Responsibilities

An annoying addition to this main plot, that is, season performance has been the sub-plot of Raheem Sterling, the 20-year old who along with his agent has been haggling over his wages. The past few weeks though seem to have put Sterling in his place, given his anemic performances against Arsenal and Aston Villa.

While Rodgers tactics were undoubtedly questionable, it was the constant tinkering that prevented Liverpool from gathering any momentum in the game. For Sterling, things have got much harder. To put it this way, if this was an audition for a promotion in monetary terms, this was a very sad attempt.

Given that Sterling had hit the ground running this season, which has earned him a regular starting place, it was only time before his contract was renegotiated. In a season, where everything’s been functioning smoothly on a personal level, it is apt for a footballer to ask for a raise. But as observers from outside, it is pertinent to realize that wage demands are calibrated by agents. The animal kingdom is no stranger to devouring their own and examples arise from the dangerous tiger sharks to the adorable hamsters as well.

Similarly, English football has this unknowing intention to devour their own superstars. Recently, the Guardian ran an article on “top young English footballers and where they are now”, with the article illustrating how fortunes can take a topsy-turvy ride. Granted these “young 20 somethings” are highly paid and all, but let’s face it, these are not normal 20-year-olds.

These guys have literally everything at their feet. Society can be unkind when viewed through the lenses of a fan that are within the same age bracket. From the fan’s perspective, a 100,000 pounds-per-week salary does seem obscene. A dim view is obviously taken of the player who is trying to price up his salary. The need to rebuke“money- grabbing players” comes from people who believe they have a higher sense of morality and duty towards the game of football.

Often these self-appointed moralists forget that a footballer’s life starts not when they complete their education, but the moment when they learn to kick a ball. While some 20 somethings are still figuring out their lives, these 20-year-olds are already way past that. Their decision-making stage is over regards career prospects, and in a career which has a maximum duration of 20 years with fitness and injuries aside, there is a certain need for money as well.

Normality – Different Definition

Putting Raheem Sterling under the scanner is not the intention of this piece, instead it is just one of the examples. The naivety of the player and bad advice from the agent is often the concoction that derails a contract negotiation. Looking elsewhere, Saido Berahino of West Bromwich Albion, had also been pouting and puffing, but in this instance the manager, Tony Pulis chose to send the message, “No one is bigger than the club, and everyone has a right price.”

Instead of mollycoddling the player, the stance adopted by Pulis, showed that a club will not undermine its wage structure to satisfy an individual.

Young players can often have their head turned and a loss of focus can lead to a sudden shift in fortunes. In the fickle world of football, agents make a living on a player’s form. Brokers tend to cash in the shares for better returns on an investment when the markets hit a high. A football agent’s similarly believes it is the best business practice to cash in on his most valuable asset. This requirement for immediate returns leads to bad advice. It is the business side of football that an agent is concerned with and in respect to his work ethics, it is the 'right' advice.

Sterling and Berahino do not have to look beyond Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace, Scott Sinclair of Manchester City (currently on loan at Aston Villa) and Jack Rodwell (Sunderland). All these players were the “next big thing” in English football, only a couple of seasons back. Look at how their fortunes have fluctuated. It is only recently, that Alan Pardew said that Zaha’s form has picked up and how his morale was shattered given his experience with Manchester United. Unfortunately, other factors didn’t help either.

Similarly, Scott Sinclair who was snapped up by Manchester City after wonderful performances for Swansea City in their debut Premier League season and how his career took a downward spiral after a big money move to Manchester City.

A normal person gets up in the morning has breakfast, goes to work, puts in his shift and then comes back to his family. A footballer, on the other hand, gets up, trains, rests, trains, rests followed by strategy meetings, a regulated diet in between and wraps up his day by say as early as 8-9PM. A normal person doesn’t even follow a diet. From being physically burnt to mentally exhausted, there is little time for the modern footballer, except for his family.

The flashy cars, the beautiful mansions all by-products of their labour are rarely taken in at least when they are in their youth. There’s a whole lot of difference between a “young something” and “a world class player.” Material possessions are not the focus of their lives; their aim is to be the best in the business which for them only means football. The actual business side, the contract negotiations are left to their agents.

Paul Hayward, Chief Sports Writer of The Telegraph, rightly points out that clubs prefer to go for proven greatness rather than potential and in the case of Liverpool, they would rather avoid another transfer saga after last summer. Clubs are not amused when players they consider as products of the system suddenly resort to arm-twisting tactics. The spiral effect of such negotiations spread to the team and this in turn affects team morale which in turn affects club performances and the player who was an attraction suddenly seems a dud.

Player Sensitivity

Player sensitivity is something the modern fan should understand far more than anyone else. Sports rely on momentum – winning and losing, both. Sport, fans, and players are the holy trinity which provides the platform for other stakeholders to make an investment into this sport. From providing employment opportunities to promoting happiness and spreading cheer through social initiatives, the Premier League has come a long way.

Clubs are social instruments out to deliver businesses as well as improving the social index. The players who are young now, soon become mature adults who take it upon themselves to influence the society through initiatives.

As spectators it is necessary for us to support young players. As the fans, the other night rightly did, they blamed the agent and jeered the agent of Raheem Sterling, more than the player, but not all agents are to be jeered at. The handling of finances by the right person goes a long way in securing the players future. The right agent for a footballer can provide him with job security and thus letting the footballer concentrate only on his game. Balancing interests of an individual, club, fans and making a living out of it, is a tough career choice in itself.

It may seem, at this juncture that this author is taking the side of the agents, but rest assured, the author is concerned more about the football side of it. The rapid evolution of football, along with easy access to social media has left footballers prone to outbursts and targets of the public who are not amused by the extravagant wage demands that are issued by the players.

Referring to my earlier point, one of the suggestions that this author would like to make is that, fans should be enlightened as to player sensitivity as well, which in turn would help clubs deal with issues of racism and violence as well. From derogatory chants to sexist abuses, creating awareness and taking initiatives to combat them can only provide for a more pleasant experience of viewing the “beautiful game”. As for the agents they are also human beings who are doing their job to the best of their ability.