The World Cup has become a cult of the individual, where star players dominate the narrative at the expense of team complexity, according to Jonathan Liew. The irony of this superstar-heavy focus is that it amplifies rather than diminishes the importance of the collective.
Individual Achievements Overshadow Team Glory
Reuters match report of Portugal's 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of the Congo highlighted Cristiano Ronaldo's record-equalling sixth World Cup off to a disappointing start. This exemplifies how individual narratives often override team achievements. While the draw was a historic sporting day for the Congo, the focus remained on a 41-year-old man not scoring.
This World Cup feels qualitatively different, driven by events on the pitch and industry demands. France's victory over Iraq is framed as Kylian Mbappé challenging Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and others. Google searches for Miroslav Klose's goals record have spiked more at this tournament than the year he set it. The group phase seems a distraction from the Golden Boot race.
From Team Facilitator to Individual Goal
Previously, individual achievement facilitated team glory; now the reverse is true. Lionel Messi does not win the World Cup for Argentina; they win it for him. A Portugal triumph would vindicate a footballing culture, talent-scouting, and coaching tradition, yet would be subsumed by Ronaldo's personal success.
The veneration extends beyond headline players. Unsung heroes like Cape Verde's Vozinha and Eloy Room are anointed as sole architects of their team's achievements. David Beckham has been more visible at this tournament than some he played in. Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Fox Sports, despite zero World Cup goals, is a king of vertical video snippets. Even Marcelo Bielsa's official portrait went viral.
Industry Decisions Drive Individual Focus
This hyperfixation is not accidental or solely due to algorithm-generated media. It results from many little decisions accumulating to focus on individuals in a team game. The rise of cinema-style television cameras blurs backgrounds, focusing on a single object. The last 32 teams will introduce more isolated player cameras. Directors cut away to show celebrities, fans, or Gianni Infantino. Stoppages like VAR, substitutions, and hydration breaks make games more defined by single acts of brilliance.
This reflects a narcissistic age: the athlete as influencer, the fan as participant, Infantino as director/writer/producer/star of his own movie. For Infantino, this may be football in its most perfectly realised form: football for the Truth Social age, football x IShowSpeed, Keeping Up With The Footballs.
The Cost of Individual Prism
Consuming football solely through the prism of the individual leaves stories untold and angles underexplored. The irony is that the superstar-heavy narrative embellishes the collective's importance. Only surrounded by a team more than the sum of its parts could Ronaldo triumph in 2016, Mbappé in 2018, Messi in 2022, Haaland with Manchester City in 2023. The 1986 Argentina team's players like Jorge Burruchaga, Sergio Batista, and Oscar Ruggeri have become underrated due to Maradona worship.
Football's cult of the individual is a kind of wilful stupidisation. Explaining football through 22 players interacting, tactics, relationships, history, and identity is hard. But that complexity is why the simplest sport is also the most beautiful. The more you look, the more you find, learn, understand, and love. But what if you don't want to look at all?
