A reflection on generations and the football we watched (or didn’t watch)
The generation before mine had little access to international football. They depended on free-to-air TV and often only saw the world’s stars during World Cups or the Olympics. Everything was rarer, more distant, almost mythical. In my generation, I clearly remember Band broadcasting European matches. That’s where I saw Juventus for the first time — that team enchanted me. It was my first long-distance love. And like me, many in my generation started supporting teams like Real Madrid, Milan, Manchester United… The next generation had everything at their fingertips: streaming, YouTube, cell phones. The absence of Brazilian clubs in games like FIFA and Football Manager also pushed this crowd toward PSG, City, Barça… But my generation committed a sin: it split. Some only loved Messi, hated CR7, but supported Neymar. Others only loved CR7, hated Messi, and also supported Neymar. And some just followed Neymar. Many of us missed out on historic moments simply because they weren’t “from our player.” That was a mistake. And I include myself. I was on Team CR7. I didn’t follow Messi at Barcelona — only watched him with Argentina. And even though I saw Messi’s first goal live (thanks to Ronaldinho still being there), I missed that legendary goal where he dribbled past half the team. I was wrong. I was naive. But hold on. There’s still time. The Romário generation, my Ronaldo generation, then Neymar’s generation, and now Vini Jr’s generation — we cannot miss the rise of Lamine Yamal. Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past. It doesn’t matter what generation you’re from. Watch. Follow. Appreciate. Because football keeps gifting us. And Yamal… MY GOD.
P.S. For 2 months, the ScoutDecision team collected testimonials from scouts in our network about their jobs, the tools they use, etc. Now you can read the results for free here: Football Scouting Survey 2024
