Project Aims
Mapping the transition from "Academy Prospect" to "First Team Star."
Timelines
Constructing verified career timelines and media-attention counts for five key players.
Framing
Analyzing dominant narratives (e.g., "prodigy," "controversy") across press, broadcast, and social.
Impact
Identifying how sensational headlines or club narratives facilitate or hinder trajectories.
The Case Studies
FIVE PLAYERS. FIVE NARRATIVES.
Eberechi
Eze
Crystal Palace
Marcus
Rashford
Manchester United
Mason
Greenwood
Marseille
Kobbie
Mainoo
Manchester United
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."
© 2025 The Players Rising.
Supervisor: Media Studies Dept.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Marcus Rashford by Bryan Berlin / WikiPortraits (CC BY-SA 4.0); Kobbie Mainoo by Bryan Berlin / WikiPortraits (CC BY-SA 4.0); Old Trafford by Arne Müseler (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE); Stade Vélodrome by Zakarie Faibis (CC BY-SA 4.0); Stadio San Paolo by C.R. (CC BY-SA 3.0).