Life as a football fan is often chaotic. This ‘thing’ on the weekend that brings you unparalleled euphoria one minute can sour your entire mood the next. As a supporter, you entrust your emotional wellbeing into the feet of 11 individuals in the hope their ability and actions can make you feel like you’re on top of the world.

It doesn’t always work out that way – and every single fan will have memories of extreme highs and visceral lows. I’ve been there, hugging and heckling my club emblem more times than I’m proud to admit. The word ‘fan’ comes from ‘fanatic’ and for good reason. We’re in thrall to football, and we can’t control it.

Fundamentally, the fan experience of football is about two things: emotions and entertainment. They’re interwoven like a 00s’ strike partnership. They work in tandem and help us to feel things intensely, whether it’s disbelief at Zizou’s curtain call headbutt, outrage at the prejudice and abuse that casts a shadow over the game, or pride at the Lionesses making history in Australia-New Zealand this summer. This game is designed to move us.

That’s why it’s ironic – and somewhat sad – that the emotions of the entertainers themselves are so rarely given any serious thought or consideration. If our emotions catch fire so intensely from the sidelines, how must it feel to be inside the furnace?

That's what we should be thinking about when we talk about Jadon Sancho.

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You’d have to be ignorant to deny Jadon Sancho’s ability as a pro baller.

In the Bundesliga, Sancho was one of the most dangerous and productive forwards in world football, churning out G/A numbers that only Messi and Mbappé could sit alongside. Linking up with Erling Haaland, together they formed the deadliest duo in Europe.

While they’re still playing their football in the same city in 2023, the colour of their shirts isn’t the only thing dividing them.

Haaland is the face of the Premier League, breaking every record in front of him and collecting trophies while he does it. He’s the definition of a franchise player and hasn’t just lived up to his promise, but exceeded it, at the best pure footballing environment in the game today.

Meanwhile, his one-time partner in crime Sancho has faced several public challenges since moving to a Manchester United side that retains a long-term state of instability. The latest of these challenges came this past weekend, which saw Erik ten Hag criticise his application in training.

“It’s easy to say that Sancho hasn’t performed well. What’s much harder to do is look at the situation with nuance and ask: is Jadon Sancho okay?”

In response, just hours later, Sancho issued a statement on social media revealing his frustration at being made a “scapegoat” and pushed back against accusations he wasn’t giving it his all. This was an unlikely show of emotion from Sancho, a player who likes to remain quiet, and could be a rare insight into where his head and heart currently is.

Many will argue the comments from ETH about Sancho didn’t warrant such a response, and this may be true. After all, saying that someone was not picked because of how they trained doesn’t sound so bad on face value.

But if I was to ask the question: “have you been patient until something finally pushed you over the edge?”, many of you would say yes. I imagine the answer would be the same if I asked whether you’ve ever felt like your efforts weren’t appreciated by your superiors at work.

No excuses need to be made for Sancho’s response but a quick look at his journey paints a picture that everyone should have seen being constructed in the background.

The Jadon Sancho we once knew is not the Jadon Sancho we now see. Before our very eyes, we’ve seen someone go within themselves. He’s gone from the star of the show to a cameo character in United’s eternal drama.

This is where being a ‘fanatic’ is a problem. It’s easy to say that Sancho hasn’t performed well and isn’t taking his opportunities. What’s much harder to do though, is look at the situation with nuance and ask: is Jadon Sancho okay?

It wasn’t long ago that Jesse Lingard was sharing the story of his off-field battles. It was as recently as this summer when Dele Alli opened up on the demons that had blighted his potential to perform on-pitch.

The sensitivity most fans and media displayed in the immediate aftermath of Dele’s story makes the developing discourse around Sancho particularly sad. This week, we’ve heard sources describe him as “complicated”, while the latest reports say he’s lost the support of his teammates. We’re very clearly seeing an agenda take shape against a player at a time when they’re vulnerable.

The same thing happened with Dele Alli over many years, but it appears people’s memories are short.

Those who can cast their mind back will even remember Sancho taking some time away from the first team last season to get back to a better place himself.

If Sancho is saying he wants to play football with a smile again, then maybe his joy has been taken away. The overly emotional brain of a football fan might struggle to empathise with that, but we should do better to not judge players’ too quickly.

Whether you support United or want to see their demise, all I ask is for you to see yourself in Jadon Sancho before casting any criticism. After all, we are all more like him than we think.

@MayowaQuadri_

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