They began to defend the England defender.

Football is a very “memetic” sport and industry in general, so to speak. The audience interested in him is very large, very social. Therefore, as soon as an interesting topic appears, people take it into their own hands and push it to incredible heights. This also happens with scandalous occasions such as the kiss between Luis Rubiales and a Spanish national football player. This also happens when the public finds itself the object of ridicule.

In some ways, this is reminiscent of a toxic school environment with bullying and bullying of some children. Manchester United and England international defender Harry Maguire found himself in a similar situation. Once England’s most expensive defender. Now he is the most expensive object of ridicule. Furthermore, from some public pages and comments on social networks, the obstruction reaches ever higher levels. So you have to defend Maguire at the same level.

Angry public

The defender became a new target for the fans and not only after the friendly match with the Scottish national team, which England won with a score of 3:1. Scotland’s only goal was scored by Maguire in his own net. This was the 30-year-old defender’s 59th match for England. It is precisely this and Maguire’s advantage that those who justify it rely on. For example, talking about how he helped England reach the semi-finals world Cup-Final 2018 and Euro 2020. The main lobbyist of Maguire’s interests is considered to be England manager Gareth Southgate, with whom he has played more matches this season than with Manchester United.

I have never seen a player treated the way he is treated now. For decades he was the perfect point of reference for us in the second most successful team in England. He is absolutely a fundamental player for this team. I spoke about the important role of our expert footballers. And he is a key figure among them. Every time he takes the field he shows incredible resilience. He is a great footballer and we should all treat him as such.

Meanwhile, Maguire lost the captaincy at Manchester United last summer but remained at the club. And there are quite different opinions there. Someone, for example, says he refused a move to West Ham and preferred to sit on the bench in a well-paid position Manchester United, which does not add sympathy for the footballer. However, there is a version that the club decided to keep him amid the injuries of other defenders in order to have a reliable replacement. In this championship he has played once so far, coming off the bench in the second half against Arsenal (1: 3).

In the match against Scotland, Maguire also came on as a substitute. But during the break. And already in the 67th minute he scored into his own goal, blocking the opponent’s cross. It’s funny that after the match Scotland manager Steve Clarke was asked if he wanted to see a player like Harry Maguire in his team. The specialist responded very briefly and clearly:

No, absolutely no.

It goes without saying how much force the defender was poured into social media by fans deprived of the obligation to maintain any kind of fairness. And this irritates Southgate a bit:

I can understand the Scottish fans. I have absolutely no complaints about them. But I think his objectiveness is a consequence of the ridiculous treatment he received over a long period of time. I am not joking. This is not about Scotland fans, but about our commentators, pundits and other audiences. They created a wave that surpasses anything I’ve ever experienced before. I think our fans have understood that they shouldn’t be allowed to attack an English player by someone from the outside.

Other defenders

Former players and many experts have endorsed Southgate’s theses, vying to defend Maguire. For example, this is what Chris Waddle said during the broadcast:

To his credit, I didn’t see him give up the ball in this game. The ideal thing for him would be to go abroad now and play there for about a year. And when he returns to England he will receive only half the criticism he receives now. The current criticism of him is simply ridiculous.

Michael Owen also expressed himself in this direction:

I have long wondered why Maguire receives so much abuse. I’m glad Southgate said it all. Personally I don’t know Maguire that well, but he is a very good footballer and he seems like a good person. He has never let England down, but he seems to be constantly mocked.

Interestingly, Maguire ended the Scotland match with the captain’s armband, as Harry Kane, who scored his team’s final goal, was replaced in the 84th minute. And Southgate also praised the defender for the way he behaved in public:

He went and talked mass media. Because he is an open boy. He’s holding up well. And this is a great credit to his character. We got an important victory and he was part of it. After the match he applauded the fans.

The general trend

Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha noted that, in general, criticism of football players has become sharper and crueler. As they say, “this has never happened in our time.”

It is not customary to talk about something intermediate or average. But they very often talk about extremes. And everything develops like a snowball. I think we can all give examples of these players in recent years. Before you have time to look back, they treat you like some kind of travesty. Now Maguire can do something well, but he no longer makes sense because he won’t prove anything to anyone. He is probably the most criticized English defender we have ever known.

Some may feel sorry for Maguire, others will add fuel to the fire of his criticism, pointing out that this is an integral part of a footballer’s career, especially one who receives such huge money. And yet, if you show reliable football for a long period of time and do not add reasons for ridicule yourself, then they will be of no use. The peculiarity of public obstruction is not only that it is sharp and cruel, but also that it quickly moves to new objectives if the previous ones cease to provide reasons. But Maguire brings them again and again. And who knows what the words of Southgate, Owen and the others would be if such an own goal had occurred not in a victorious match or in a friendly match, but in some relegation match with the score 0: 0.