To be a Star Player

Valeria Perez

What does it mean to be a ‘Star player’? It’s a term frequently used throughout the Super League, primarily by those working within it. News reporters, journalists, coaches, other players, but what does it mean? How does one get classified as a ‘Star Player’?

It’s a title that isn’t chosen, but earned.

The player gifted this title doesn’t know they are the star player until they hear it in a passing conversation, or when a news reporter refers to them as such. They’re so caught up in practicing, honing their skills, scoring goals, and constantly attending events that they don’t notice until it springs out of someone’s mouth and latches onto them.

A title that’s as validating as it is crushing.

The star player.

Singular.

Very rarely will a team have two star players, so the honorable burden is held by one individual.

The hard working, show stopping individual.

After all their training and dedication, they’ve become the face of their team, whether they want to be or not. All their time, all their dedicated effort, it all finally pays off in the form of goals and recognition, their skills shine just as the stars in the evening sky do, and approval is everywhere.

And eventually, they become their team.

Eventually, the other players aren’t as noteworthy.

Their team members aren’t as memorable, they aren’t as determined, they aren’t as powerful, they just aren’t enough. To some fans, they get reduced to that of back-up dancers, people who stay in the background and help the star when it’s time to lift them up, only for them to disappear again. They’re there to listen to the best player, whether that happens to be the captain or not, they’re there to take the oncoming hits, they’re meant to fall, and they’re expected to fail because they aren’t the star.

When Riano had finally worked his way to the top, rivaling figures such as Ninja and Uber, it felt as though mere weeks passed before Barka was referred to as ‘Riano’s team’. To many, he has the looks to justify such attention, to everyone, he’s a fantastic player.

De Los Santos is a phenomenal goalkeeper, one of the greatest of all times, enough to rival Colossus’ former goalie. How can one ignore his powerful performances and the sheer size of him? How can one ignore Azul’s guardian? Like Barka’s case, the moment De Los Santos stepped onto the field to prove his worth, it was no longer Azul which fans rooted for, but De Los Santos.

It was no longer: “I hope Azul wins this game!” It was: “I wonder how many goals Los Santos will stop this time!”

He is now the main player who gets interviewed in place of his team, right beside his coach.

There was an infamous clip a paparazzi had managed to get from a few years ago, one where they were speaking to Leonardo, the team’s midfielder, about a Super League event that was approaching; an award ceremony. Leonardo had said this:

“They invited Los Santos. They only invited him, why can’t you understand that?”

The individual recording had asked another question, though it was inaudible, but Leonardo had responded as such:

“No, no De Los Santos is fine. I can’t hate the guy, I barely know him. We don’t speak much outside of games anymore. He’s too busy. I hope he’s fine, but it’s not like I’m ever going to know.”

This clip circulated around the Super League fanbase for some time, infamous among Los Santos’ fans for being ’critical’, though others argued it was nothing of the sort. Despite most outside fans not seeing the supposed ’harshness’ of Leonardo’s words, he eventually released a public apology, stating: ”…I very much appreciates all that our goalkeeper does. He has the fans’ support for a good reason…”

Then there are the more controversial stars. Skarra, for as good as he is, is infamous for how cruel he can be towards other players, his collection of yellow cards large enough to fill a library, or Cosmos’ Ninja, who’s constant partying and desire to have his face on every product possible leads fans to believe he cares more about popularity than being genuine. This criticism only attracts more eyes on them, and leads to more people saying their names.

There’s nothing wrong with a team having a star, even if it’s at the cost of them outshining their teammates; in the same vein that just because the Sun illuminates our lives the most, it doesn’t make the millions of other stars we see at night useless.

But what happens when that star inevitably goes out?

One cannot be a soccer player forever, be it from an injury, retirement, a falling out, there’s never a guarantee that they’ll stay.

Spike Dawson wasn’t forever. He was a lethal force, quick on his feet and able to withstand blow after blow just to reach his goal. He was able to get past nearly every goalie in the Super League until his incident with Big Bo, where he had sustained an injury so severe it wounded him up in the hospital for weeks.

When Grimm lost him, they shut down.

Their doors were closed, their gates locked, and not a word was heard from the other players nor their coach. Even the residents of Feratuvia heard nothing. Some still cling onto the hope that they’ll one day rejoin the Super League, others fear the night they lost Dawson was the night they laid themselves to rest and chained their caskets closed.

Zelus, Colossus’ first goalkeeper, was a force to be reckoned with. His strength surpassed Los Santos’, his reflects fast as lightning, and he always held his ground even when the Earth shook.

Where Iron Tank was the brutal attacker, Colossus was the brilliant defender. Their rivalry matched that of Supa Strikas and Invincible United.

An unstoppable being, an unwavering drive to help his team, and then one night, he vanished.

There was no trace of where he had gone to. Coach Nick Kickalopolous and the rest of Colossus had spent countless nights searching for him, until Nick had to release the devastating announcement:

“It is with a heavy heart that I must say: Zelus has left us. We do not know where, we do not know what or who is behind this, nor how, and when I find myself thinking of what circumstances could’ve occurred, I find myself aching all over again.

We move forward. Not because we want to, but because we have to… Because going back will tear us apart in a way we would never recover from, and because heartache would be the only thing that’d await for us. Though Zelus is no longer with us physically, his presence has forever impacted Colossus. His strength shall stay within Olympii and protect us, his kindness shall seep into our soils and provide substance for new life to sprout from. He is still here. All I can ask now is for the Gods to aid him into a peaceful afterlife, and to help us recover.”

Titan wasn’t perfect when he had joined Colossus. No player is capable of perfection, but when you’re constantly compared to someone who appeared to be near perfect, someone untouchable, the expectation arrises. Titan was in a position that can only be described as ’cruel’. Compared to a fallen teammate, expected to fill in shoes that hadn’t been recovered, and the entirety of his team’s reputation held upon his shoulders. He knew he was ’destined’ to fail, and he did.

Titan’s mistakes were constantly pointed out, he was heavily criticized for each ball he missed, and Colossus eventually lost the title of being Super League’s best defenders.

There were many attempts at getting Titan to share his thoughts on these expectations, if he thought he’d ever be able to reach Zelus’ level, but he turned down most of them. The only time he had commented on the matters was after Colossus had a successful game against Invincible United, scoring 3 - 0, where Titan had stopped every shot that came his way.

“…He isn’t here anymore. It would be wrong of me to compare myself to someone who is no longer with us. Zelus was an inspiring goalkeeper, he was powerful, he was a protector to those in need… But that was him. I want to find myself. I want to know who I am without having to live up to the idea of another player.”

How fair is it to be a star player?

How fair is it to be given a title that completely alters not just how fans view you, but your team? How does it feel to be placed on such a high podium, to the point it feels not even your own team can get close to you?

How does it feel to be the other players? The midfielders who stay by the star’s side, the defenders who protect them from the opposition, the strikers who aid them, players who give it their all but get reduced to nothing? If you’re giving it your all, but no one cares to see it, would you still go on?

In the moment, being a star must feel fantastic. Every time you hear someone refer to you as such must send a wave of reassurance and confidence through you, but what happens when you start to fizzle out?

What will happen when Riano is no longer playing? What will happen if De Los Santos injures himself? What happens is Johann Uber gives up? What will their teams have left? What is there to remember them for?