The Silverware Standard: How Trophies Shape the Perception of Success for Football Players
- Scarlett Collins
- Apr 11, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: May 10, 2023
Many fans believe that winning trophies is essential to establishing a legacy which has led to an ongoing, raging debate over its value as a talent indicator. Despite having previously won seven Ballon d'Or awards, a Copa America, four Champions League titles, seven Spanish championships, and more recently a trophy or two with current club PSG, Lionel Messi wasn't finally elevated to the same godlike status as Diego Maradona back in Argentina until after winning the World Cup last year.
Harry Kane is adorned with individual honours that highlight his talent and prowess as a player, despite the fact that he has never won a club or international trophy. He made his break for Tottenham in 2015 and since then has developed into one of their most valuable players. He has also won the Premier League Golden Boot three times (in 2015–16, 2016–17, and 2020–21). Additionally, on top of securing the Golden Boot in the 2020/21 league season, he also won the Playmaker award, making him only the third-ever player to win both, alongside Andrew Cole in 1993/94 for Newcastle and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in 1998/99 for Leeds. He now holds England's all-time goal-scoring record, surpassing Wayne Rooney, and he took home the 2018 World Cup's Golden Boot.
Despite his clear brilliance on both the national and international stages, he frequently receives criticism for his
lack of trophies, which detracts from the perception of his calibre. Football is a team sport, but we frequently observe that an individual's success is determined by the people around them. This was especially true of Jack Grealish at Aston Villa, who served as the team's top player and contributed to their 2019 promotion to the Premier League. Because of his apparent talent, he moved to Manchester City in 2021 and won the Premier League there right after. Despite winning the Championship play-off trophy, it’s commonly disregarded, with his only silverware being noted as the Premier League title. This is also exemplified by Trevor Sinclair's statement in a 2021 talkSport interview that Grealish needs to win silverware (with Villa) to be classified as a club legend.
This might also be said of Kane, yet Matt Le Tissier is hailed as a Southampton great despite not having a single trophy with the team. These differences could be due to the club's status and the trophy pressure that the media and fans put on English players.
Borussia Dortmund have won two German cups and three German Super Cups since Marco Reus joined the team in 2012. Nonetheless, his career has been marred by injuries, particularly on the international stage. Reus has not shared in the glory despite Germany's triumph on the world stage. He missed their 2014 World Cup victory due to an injury, and he missed the 2016 Euros as well. In 2018, he finally reached the World Cup stage, but Germany struggled and produced their worst showing in the competition in 80 years. Although Kane and Reus share a club loyalty that makes them legends in their respective clubs, there is a significant contrast in how the media and their opponents view them. Kane's dedication to Tottenham is ridiculed by the media because they believe he should have left to pursue silverware. When things go wrong for the national team, the England captain also takes the brunt of the criticism. The bitterness from some fans is murky, and it's possible that a lot of it has to do with the fact that he represents Tottenham rather than appreciating having one of the finest players in the Premier League right now and the contributions he has made to England over the years. Reus, on the other hand, has struggled to establish himself on the international stage due to injuries, and fans have expressed their unhappiness at his constant absence. Insisting on the fact that people value what he brings to the national team despite his club and little involvement for Germany.
Romelu Lukaku is a talented centre-forward who has excelled for Belgium on the international stage, including being their leading all-time goal scorer, while not committing himself to any one club for an extended period of time. The Belgian moved to Inter Milan after falling out of favour at Manchester United after Marcus Rashford was preferred over him. There, he won his first trophy since winning the Belgian Pro League in the 2009–10 season—the Serie A league title. His return to Chelsea hurt his career, and he was eventually loaned back to Inter, who went on to win the Supercoppa Italiana. The fact that Lukaku scored his 300th career goal in 2021 at the age of 27—the same age Cristiano Ronaldo accomplished the same feat—shows that he possesses undeniable goal-scoring potential, much like Harry Kane. Kane is frequently considered to as one of Europe's most overrated strikers, whereas Lukaku receives the opposite treatment. It is challenging to compare two players whose careers have been so radically dissimilar, but it does beg the question of why precisely they are seen in such different ways.
The Premier League's all-time leading scorer with 260 goals is Alan Shearer, a legend of the game. He also holds the record for most goals scored at Newcastle United with 206 in just 405 appearances. His unfathomable goal-scoring prowess has earned him a spot in the Premier League Hall of Fame. Shearer helped Blackburn Rovers in winning the League title in the 1994–1995 season, which would be his lone career trophy. His goal-scoring prowess did not stop on the international scene, but England's persistent lack of success in the form of trophies continued. Despite the lack of silverware, Shearer is hailed as one of the best English strikers and Premier League players by the media and fans alike. One can't help but wonder if Harry Kane will only be fully appreciated by the country once he hangs up his boots. It's possible that only then will the England captain earn recognition for all that he performed for the national team and at the club level in terms of his scoring talent. The underlying issue is that the media and fans have become truly blinded by the shine of silverware, ignoring the greatness of the players in front of their eyes.
Written by Scarlett
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