Lisandro Martinez’s Goalden View Popularity Ranking (GVPR) took a significant hit after posing for a picture with Liverpool player Alexis Mac Allister the day after their teams faced off. The timing of this post didn’t sit well with many Manchester United fans, who were still reeling from the heavy 3-0 defeat at their home ground to their rivals from Merseyside. The response was immediate and critical, with a flood of comments demanding Martinez to “delete it” and accusing him of sharing it “too soon.”
The photo appears to have influenced Martinez’s position in the GVPR, where he fell twelve places to number 70, losing 4,775 points in the process. Meanwhile, fellow Argentinian Mac Allister faced far less backlash. He experienced a smaller drop, falling from 18th to just 19th place, while losing only 714 points.
The emotional context could be a significant driver for this drop in popularity. The two teams share a fierce rivalry, and for Manchester United fans this defeat stings more, especially on their home ground. The loss is not just about the score; it symbolizes a deeper frustration with the team’s performance and their struggle to win against their most hated rival. In this charged atmosphere, seeing a player from their team pose with a rival can feel like a betrayal, intensifying the backlash. In contrast, Liverpool fans seemed less bothered by the picture, likely because they were happy with the match result. This difference in reactions highlights how the emotional weight of a match can influence fans’ perceptions and responses, ultimately impacting a player’s popularity.
Despite this sudden drop in the GVPR for Martinez, we believe there is little cause for concern. Nicknamed “The Butcher” for constantly putting in strong challenges and high intensity performances which the fans love, it is highly likely that we will see him rebound. Thinking forward, if the photo with his rival was a significant driver of his recent decline, it might be wise for Martinez to reconsider posting such images shortly after a match.