The rise of the internet - A factor in player perception?

It's worth noting that since the creation of the internet, picking the best player in the world has been a complex task.

In years gone by, it could be argued unequivocally that a Maradona or a Pele was worthy of this mantle. It has become harder to judge this outright. Is the reason for this that there is now a higher standard of top player than before? I don't think so and I challenge you to ask anyone of a certain age who was better: George Best or Cristiano Ronaldo.

In my opinion the internet has dethroned footballers from the pedestal we once put them on and my reasons for this is are as follows:

• They appear on our screens a lot more frequently now than even 10 years ago. It is not uncommon for you to see the same player play 3 full televised games within 7 days.
• We have a better understanding of the game than we did then, thanks to upgrades in mass media and improvement of fan knowledge.
• We know them a lot better now than we did before. In years gone by we would have little or no information regarding our heroes social lifes/girlfriends/recreational habits.

If someone was to say 20 years ago that a Rangers first team player would be doing live video chats via a social networking site we would not believe a word of it.

So, has the internet been a factor in player perception now everything is magnified, scrutinized and more often than not vilified?

I believe it has been a major factor. As we have garnered more knowledge about players we are able to form our own opinions of them in our head.

Would players we hold dear from the past have survived scrutiny in the web culture we live in today?

I don't believe so, as footballers have became celebrities thanks in no small part to the internet.

You can see average players receiving days worth of headlines for criticizing their chairmen, again on social networking sites. Average players capable of stirring up such publicity for themselves would be unthought of 20 years ago.

On the flipside, I dread to think of the careers that would have been ruined had such mass media been available during the 70's or indeed our well documented 9 in a row drinking sessions. Until the internet and Sky, all we knew about footballers we gathered from our elders or heard about on the news. They were complete strangers to us, yet now we know more about them, they are open to more scrutiny than ever before.

Whilst the internet has been an excellent tool for your average football fan and has no doubt contributed to footballers and clubs making far more money, are we really better off for it?