The golden ticket came gift-wrapped in flamingo pink. Instantly iconic. Nailed on to adorn bedroom walls from Buenos Aires to Barcelona and be splashed across billboards the world over.
Lionel Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami was as sure a marketing hit as you could ask for. Social media accounts spiked, shirts sold out, match tickets went for stupid money.
But new followers hadn’t just come for the Herons.
‘A lot of people are walking around cities and towns in the UK and Europe wearing that flamingo pink of Inter Miami with zero affiliation to Miami, having never been there," explains sports brand strategist James Kirkham.
‘It’s quite a normal thing now. But it is the player who has done the job."
That football lovers should want to show a connection with arguably the greatest player of all time comes as no surprise – likewise his long-term rival in the now-distinct yellow of Al-Nassr.
Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Barcelona or Real Madrid. MLS or Saudi Pro League.
These generational superstars have long stirred heated debate, from curious kids with jumpers for goalposts to social media cultists armed with memes and virtual binders of blistering stats.
But this trend of following individual players transcends merely Messi and Ronaldo.
‘It’s been happening for a while, ever since the sheer impact and influence of gaming, particularly on young fans," says Kirkham, who remembers a swell of support for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Kirkham says younger fans are actually "less rigid or tribal than they used to be" and boast a "more encyclopaedic knowledge" developed through video games – including EA Sports FC or Football Manager. Other touch points come via YouTube and trading cards.
They follow teams from different countries or leagues not for the badge on the front, but because of the name on the back.&n
‘Fans play as these players in games," says Kirkham. "So there is a really thin line between virtual and real life.&n
‘Following a player and buying them as part of your Ultimate Team and then wearing that player’s name on the back of your shirt, be that Atletico Madrid or Chelsea or Dortmund, kind of makes no difference."
To paraphrase Eric Cantona, you can change most things in life but never your football team.
Who you support is primarily an emotional connection forged through family or geography. In many cases, you’re born into it.
According to a study called 'The Rise of the Second Club Fan', however, published before this summer’s World Cup, 80% of global supporters now also follow a second team.
Head of insights Matthew Kyle says that does not mean fans are abandoning the team they have supported their whole life, rather choosing another or sometimes multiple others to engage with too.
It can be more common in countries or regions that do not boast a strong league, with geography no barrier to second-club fandom.
‘They are often looking for 'who else can I support?' It’s more natural," adds Kyle.
With eyes around the globe focused on North America, particularly following the success of the MLS, the UEFA Champions League, and the Premier League, it’s clear that football culture is shifting.
Most notable, though, was Norway forward Haaland, whose popularity skyrocketed as fans flocked to his Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat accounts.
Haaland’s winning formula was a mix of his humble and relatable persona – whether sporting a cowboy hat or helping Norway’s kit man – a very active social media presence in which he comments and replies to posts, and being the centre of viral clips and memes, from his "bromance" with former team-mate Bellingham to the Russian model who shared an uncanny likeness to the forward – all that kind of stuff.
Haaland has almost 20 million more Instagram followers than his club Manchester City and, as mentioned, his own YouTube channel.
Indeed, Haaland has almost 20 million more Instagram followers than his club Manchester City and, as mentioned, his own YouTube channel.
The question for clubs is whether they can keep those fans who arrived because of a player when they leave.
That brings us on to another theme – the national hero.
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Source: BBC Football
