“Florian Wirtz, Media Bias, and the Double Standards in Football Coverage”
The way football media scrutinizes players seems heavily influenced by the club they play for. Take Florian Wirtz, for example. If he were wearing a Manchester United jersey, every misstep, every missed chance, and every quiet performance would be blown up in headlines and endlessly debated across talk shows and social media. The attention would be relentless, regardless of context or circumstances.
Compare that to Paul Pogba’s experience. Despite delivering four assists in a match against Leeds, Pogba faced harsh criticism. Graeme Souness even exclaimed, “That’s what you expect from a £100 million player!” showing how even strong performances don’t always shield elite players from media backlash.
Now consider Wirtz, a €150 million talent. In 11 games, he has yet to score a goal or register an assist. By most standards, that’s underwhelming. Yet, the coverage he receives is noticeably muted compared to a player at Manchester United. The double standard is glaring: similar performances are framed very differently depending on the club’s profile and the clicks or headlines it generates.
This bias raises questions about fairness in football journalism. Are players truly being evaluated on their contributions on the pitch, or are they judged based on the audience they can attract? For clubs like Liverpool, fans might joke about being satisfied with four successful passes from a player like Wirtz, but the criticism he faces—or avoids—reveals much more about media priorities than player performance.
In the end, the issue isn’t just Wirtz or Pogba—it’s a reflection of a wider, systemic double standard. Media outlets know which stories will drive clicks, sell papers, and elevate their profile, and clubs like Manchester United tend to dominate that narrative, often at the expense of objective assessment. Shame on the industry for letting this kind of bias persist.
