Soccer as such a captivating and gripping worldwide sport creates numerous moments, memories, but perhaps most iconic are its players. Soccer like other sports, such as the NBA, creates legendary figures that grow to have an almost cult-like following. However, these figures and their fandom spread even further, as a worldwide sport. With any sport these figures are comprised of both heroes and villains, with each earning their respective love and hate due to their actions, personality, play style, success, etc… These individuals make up the sport as much if not more so than the actuals teams.
In soccer the players often transcend their team itself. These heroes become so loved that even if they eventually leave the team, the fans of the team, locals from their area, and prior fans of the player stick around as fans. These players garner so much respect that when you ask someone what they know about a sport such as soccer, if they don’t follow it they are as likely if not more so to name off a player rather than a team. These players often represent the culture of the team and area that play for. They become intrinsically tied to the local life as someone that you root for and in cases of the best players you idolize. They can become ambassadors of not only their team, but the sport in general.
If there are heroes in soccer than there must also be villains in soccer. In regards to the term villain, there are two major categories of a villain in a sport. There are those that are not necessarily villainous, indeed for some they would be the hero. These are often defined by their success either in championships or against a specific team, thus making them a villain to the teams they beat and a hero to the team they are on. There are also villains who are in fact villainous. These players are more so recognized for their foul play, cheating, and often unlikable personality. Whatever the case, having someone to root against is often just as important as having someone to root for. It provides another way to enjoy the sport, you can celebrate when someone you love succeeds and root for them to do so regardless of the team and vice versa you can root for someone to fail and not necessarily dislike their team.
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