From Academy to First Team

Media, Narrative
& The Star

How media systems and narratives shape public perceptions, career opportunities, and athlete branding during the youth-to-pro transition.

Project Aims

Mapping the transition from "Academy Prospect" to "First Team Star."

Aim 01

Timelines

Constructing verified career timelines and media-attention counts for five key players.

Aim 02

Framing

Analyzing dominant narratives (e.g., "prodigy," "controversy") across press, broadcast, and social.

Aim 03

Impact

Identifying how sensational headlines or club narratives facilitate or hinder trajectories.

The Case Studies

FIVE PLAYERS. FIVE NARRATIVES.

01 The Creative

Eberechi
Eze

Crystal Palace

↗

02 The Icon

Marcus
Rashford

Manchester United

↗

03 The Complex

Mason
Greenwood

Marseille

↗

04 The Breakout

Kobbie
Mainoo

Manchester United

↗

05 The Star

Victor
Osimhen

Galatasaray

↗

Methodology: Quantitative

Compiling debut and milestone dates from Transfermarkt. Measuring media attention using counts of articles and social-post volumes in selected windows.

Methodology: Qualitative

Thematic discourse analysis of feature articles and match commentary to identify framing narratives like "prodigy" or "comeback."

Supervisor: Media Studies Dept.