"These are trying times for Millennial soccer fans. Signs of the passage of time and the effects of aging are everywhere you look. Our old idols of physical prowess, chiseled beauty, and rakish charm are now middle-aged men whose rounded faces and time-ravaged (or Turkensteined) hairlines are plastered onto our TV screens during interminable pre- and mid- and post-game pundit segments,"
"Yet there is one aspect of the game that has endured from the no-longer-so-recent past to today, something that unites all fans, from the Boomers to the Zoomers and beyond, in a shared sense of joy, good humor, and camaraderie. And that is the fact that, after more than a decade of misery, after hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars spent trying to bring about brighter days,"
Millennial soccer fans confront visible signs of aging as former idols become middle-aged pundits offering nostalgic criticisms of modern players. Two defining stars of that generation have entered semi-retirement in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia and approach obsolescence. The sport still produces exciting new talents, but reverence for them falters when former stars occupy a superior, unrelatable status. Manchester United have endured over a decade of poor performance and costly failed rebuilds, and the club's persistent struggles provide schadenfreude for rival fans. United lost in the League Cup to League Two Grimsby Town, separated by 61 table spots last season and not in the same league since 1947.
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