Does Star Players do more Harm than Good?

2025 June 6th

By Josh

https://www.tntsports.co.uk/football/ligue-1/2021-2022/lionel-messi-intends-to-vote-for-kylian-mbappe-and-neymar-for-the-ballon-d-or-praises-benzema-and-le_sto8577875/story.shtml

How does a existence of star players be so significant? This could both mean positive and negative ways. As a positive, the amount of economic profit created from these players are immense, through uniform sales, advertisement, sponsors, and etc. However, they may result in negatives such as disruption of chemistry between the players of the team, leading to disappointing results. For instance, the 2025 UEFA Champions League (UCL) winner, Paris Saint Germain (PSG), had star players such as Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe making them the favors to win the UCL. However, they have all failed with the lack of team chemistry. However, 2025, where all these star players have left, the team won its first ever UCL against Inter Milan with the greatest margin win in UEFA UCL history. 

PSG won its first ever UCL this year with the greatest margin victory of UEFA UCL history. PSG, the best known team in France was not a top favorites to win the UCL this year. They did not thrive in the group stages, placing 15th out of the 36 teams, making them play in the knockout qualifications. Expertise and people did not expect them to win this years UCL with people favoring Real Madrid, Liverpool FC, and FC Barcelona. The team indeed faced significant challenges in the entire knockout stages, facing Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal. Although bearing these challenges, the team succeeded to defeat them and faced Inter Milan in the finals, where they were rated as the underdogs with lots of experts favoring Inter Milan. But when the game began, PSG dominated Inter and defeated them 5-0, which is the greatest margin victory in UCL finals history. The team that failed to win the UCL with significant stars such as Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe, won the UCL without them. In the previous years with these stars, did not pass the semi-finals. However, with these stars leaving the team and with team chemistry more built up from the players, they have succeeded to win their first ever UCL.

This shows that soccer is team sport, less focused on star players. Although it is true that to succeed in sports, that a star player is a key factor to success, but soccer is less dependent on this aspect. Such as in basketball and the NBA, a star player is more important than overall team chemistry. Readers may counter that PSG had star players such as Ousmane Dembele, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. But these players would not have been the star players without the departure of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe. This is because the manager Luis Enrique, was able to build the team around Dembele and Kvaratskhelia, not like when the team had to be centered around the previous star players. This shows that in soccer, although the existence of star players in the team is significant for success, sometimes, the removal of these star players are immense for the team to thrive. Also, for this PSG team, the departure of the previous star players allowed the prospects in the team to grow. For example, Desire Doue, a now a world class winger would not have succeeded as now if the star players still existed. For example, if Mbappe still remained in PSG, Doue would not have arrived to PSG as the club would not have needed him as they have Mbappe. However, since he have departed PSG the need of a winger to replace him existed. This shows that star players are not always the aspect that guarantees success, but sometimes their departure is crucial for the growth of the club. 

Then is it possible to change the trends of the MLS? In the growing American soccer industry, the need of star players are still crucial to gain fan engagement and to improve the league. Although it is argued that the league has already reached the maximum potential, and to improve, the change in policies such as the addition of relgation and promotion would be its only option. It can be debated, but my personal opinion is that the league did reach its maximum potential, and should change its transfer trends. Since the joining of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Lorenzo Insigne, and etc have already fulfilled the needs of star players within the league. For the league to improve, it is true that it would need changes in policy but also in transfer trends, to buy less star players, but players that are good to improve the overall level of the league. Such as Riqui Puig, ex-Barcelona player that is not regarded as a star player, but a player that scored 17 goals and 12 assists last season to improve the level of MLS to attract fan engagement within the States, and also outside of America. 

In conclusion, while star players undeniably bring economic value, global recognition, and short-term fan engagement, their presence does not always equate to success on the pitch—especially in a sport like soccer that thrives on cohesion and teamwork. PSG’s historic 2025 Champions League victory without its former star trio is a powerful testament to the importance of team chemistry, balanced tactics, and player development. This shift challenges the traditional reliance on individual brilliance and opens a conversation about building sustainable success through collective performance. As American soccer continues to evolve, the MLS should take note: the future of the league lies not only in marquee signings, but in fostering competitive squads filled with emerging talents and well-integrated players. To truly grow in both quality and global relevance, the MLS must rethink its transfer strategies and consider structural changes that prioritize long-term footballing success over short-term star power.