Why Critics and Banter media are not being unfair to Harry Maguire

Is Harry Maguire being treated unfairly or just a victim of the business side of football?

Football in as much as it is an entertainment media meant to keep fans and all involved, entertained and with plenty to talk about, can often come across as a negative space as seen from Harry Maguire’s perspective.

The England international has seen media narratives generated around him much to the entertainment and delight of rival fans, and to the annoyance of the England and Manchester United fanbase, whom judging from social media comments cannot wait to see the exit of the 30-year-old from their respective teams.

These varied opinions have resulted in the former Leicester City man becoming an unwitting meme generator on social media, with content creators crafting videos from Harry Maguire’s errors in jest of the Centre Back, or perhaps leaving behind hurtful texts that could be seen by the ex-Manchester United captain.

In defense of the player, Harry Maguire’s mother took it up to slam the mainstream media for the negative narratives surrounding her son, in a scathing assessment of how pundits, fans and the English media have played roles in victimizing Harry Maguire.

Though Zoe Maguire and Harry Maguire himself have admitted to possessing the mental fortitude to handle whatever the media brings at him, one can’t help but ponder if Harry is as much guilty as his critics of the narratives or just a victim of the ‘trend’.

Football thrives on the now, with pundits, content creators, fans and social media enthusiasts ready to feed on whatever discussion creates the hype.

Prior to the start of the season, the hype was on Maguire leaving Manchester United for West Ham.

A move that by all accounts would have eventually given the England international a space behind the media coverage, lesser expectations and even regular game time.

Of course, the move ended up falling through, and the media eventually forgot about the former Leicester City defender as Erik ten Hag relegated his position to the background in the Manchester United squad. It was a win that so much wasn’t much of a win for Harry Maguire however as he wanted more minutes.

Then came, Gareth Southgate including the fringe player to the England set up for the international week. The England boss wanted to prove the media wrong, and who could judge him? A coach has the responsibility to bring out the best and believe the best in his players. A good man-management tactic you would say.

But the problem was, Harry Maguire allowed the conversations and the narratives to fall back on him.

Why would Gareth Southgate include a player who has barely featured for his club side when there were others who were in better form than him? Was it favoritism or nepotism? The England fans critiqued and the pundits followed suit.

It was their right to question the move. Harry Maguire had become a topic once again to talk about. Hence, the media has to drive narratives. It is its job.

Football is a passionate sport as well as an entertainment sport, and when content has been presented, people are bound to react.

Of course, Harry Maguire could have avoided a fraction of the criticism had his move to West Ham materialized, and the Centre-back turned up for the season in fine form for the Hammers. But he did not.

He also had chances to prove himself to Gareth Southgate and the England fanbase, as well as redeem his image with the opportunity given him with the England call-up, but for some reason, he failed to do that.

The scrutiny and the media spotlight fell on him when England drew against Ukraine, thanks to an error leading to a goal blamed on the Man United defender, and then a 3-1 win against Scotland also thanks to an own-goal from the Centre Back.

At a time when the media has its flashlight on Harry Maguire, the Manchester United player keeps giving it things to talk about, with critics having a lot to critique.

Football sure hasn’t been fair to Harry, but Harry isn’t fair to himself, and if anything, what he experiences is more of a butterfly effect of his own fallibility.