Role models in football: how to help your child be inspired without copying
Role models in football are not about choosing a famous player and imitating everything they do. They are about learning to notice what lies behind someone who plays well: how they make decisions, their humility, their work ethic, the way they close chapters and their respect for the team. Day 13 of the 2026 World Cup offered a very useful conversation for families: a young player can have role models without losing their identity, a footballer can say goodbye with gratitude, and the business of football can overshadow the sport if it is not viewed with perspective.
Role models in football: admiring is not the same as copying
France beat Norway 4–1 at the 2026 World Cup, with Ousmane Dembélé scoring a hat-trick as France finished top of their group. Reuters and FIFA highlighted Dembélé’s three goals and France’s dominance against a Norway side that rested several regular starters. (Reuters)
But for a family, the day was not only about goals. Marcet’s source material highlights a 19-year-old player, captain of his national under-19 team, who explained with ambition and simplicity that he watches Pedri because “he is different from the rest”. The educational value is not in copying Pedri, but in learning how to take inspiration without losing your own identity.
A child can admire a player because of how they play between the lines, protect the ball, make quick decisions or remain calm. That is healthy. The problem begins when they try to become a copy: the same celebration, the same boots, the same gestures, the same way of speaking or an identity built from the outside.
Role models in football are genuinely useful when the young player learns to ask: “What can I learn from this player that fits the way I play?”. That question develops judgement. Copying only develops appearance.
Having a role model does not mean losing your own path
Many children and teenagers need role models because learning is also shaped by what they see. Watching someone play well can give direction to ambition: “I want to make decisions like that”, “I want to have that calmness”, “I want to understand the game better”. But families need to make sure admiration does not turn into comparison.
Saying “look how Pedri plays, you should do the same” is very different from asking “what part of Pedri’s game would you like to understand better?”. The first sentence creates pressure. The second encourages observation.
During development, every player has a different body, maturity level, tempo, position, personality and context. A young midfielder does not learn by copying a professional exactly, but by identifying principles: looking up before receiving, positioning the body correctly, recognising when to accelerate and when to slow the game down, and playing for the team rather than only to stand out.
For families, supporting role models in football means protecting the child’s enthusiasm without encouraging imitation. They can look up to their idols while continuing to build their own responses within the game.
Saying goodbye with gratitude also builds character
Day 13 also brought a story about closing a chapter. Dani Ceballos said goodbye to Real Madrid after nine years with a message of gratitude towards the club, his team-mates, coaches, employees and supporters. Cadena SER reported his farewell letter, in which he explained that he was closing one of the most important chapters of his life and leaving with gratitude. (Cadena SER)
For a child or teenager, this is also highly educational. Youth football is full of endings: changing team, leaving an academy, an injury that forces a break, a coach leaving or the end of an age category. The way a player closes a chapter says a great deal about them.
A family can teach that leaving angrily, blaming everyone or erasing everything that happened is not always helpful. Sometimes there are valid reasons to move on. Sometimes a stage comes to an end. Sometimes the player needs a different environment. But even then, they can recognise what they learnt, appreciate what they received and leave without burning bridges.
Role models in football are not only found in the way players perform. They are also found in how they show gratitude, accept endings and speak about the people who were part of their journey.
When business overshadows the sport
Day 13 once again showed the commercial side of the World Cup: luxury boxes, VIP hospitality, celebrities and transfer stories moving through the tournament. Reuters described the 2026 World Cup as the most expensive ever for many supporters, with hospitality packages reaching extremely high prices and access becoming increasingly difficult for fans with fewer financial resources. (Reuters)
It has also been reported that the official 2026 World Cup hospitality programme is recording record sales, more than double those of any previous World Cup hospitality programme. (TKO Group)
For families, this is worth discussing. Professional football is also an industry, and there is no need to deny that. But children should also learn to distinguish the match from the spectacle. A VIP box does not teach you how to play. A celebrity in the stands does not improve your decision-making. A transfer rumour does not build character.
When business dominates the conversation, a child can begin to believe that football matters because of what it costs rather than what it teaches. Families can bring the focus back to the game: how a team is organised, how a substitute competes, how an opponent is respected, how a chapter is closed and how to learn from a role model without copying them.
Transfers, catalogues and the risk of looking at players the wrong way
The transfer market during a World Cup can make footballers look like catalogue items: one rises today, another falls tomorrow, then a rumour appears and one match changes a valuation. For a child or teenager, this logic can be harmful if it enters youth football too early.
Your child is not an asset. They are not a price. They are not a market prospect. They are a person who plays, learns, makes mistakes and needs time to mature. Even if they stand out, they need their family to remind them that being noticed does not mean being fully developed.
Role models in football should help young players understand careers, not become obsessed with valuations. The value of a young footballer can be seen in how they train, how they make decisions, how they behave with others, how they listen, how they recover from mistakes and how they maintain good habits when there are no cameras around.
How to talk about all this at home
Day 13 provides three simple questions to discuss with your child.
The first: “What do you like about the player you admire?”. If they only mention fame, goals or boots, you can go further: “And what do they do well within the game?”.
The second: “What does it mean to close a chapter well?”. This can lead to ideas such as showing gratitude, saying goodbye respectfully, remembering what was learnt and not turning every departure into a conflict.
The third: “Do you think business sometimes overshadows football?”. This question helps the child distinguish between spectacle, the market and genuine development.
The important thing is that the conversation should not feel like a lecture. Children do not need their parents to destroy their idols. They need help learning how to look at them more intelligently.
Scientific basis: role models influence, but the family environment shapes motivation
Research into youth sport shows that the parental environment influences how young people experience their sporting journey. One study published in PLOS ONE found that parental pressure was negatively associated with satisfaction of basic psychological needs such as autonomy, competence and relatedness; those needs were linked with intrinsic motivation, enjoyment and lower levels of boredom.
Applied to role models in football, the practical idea is clear: a child learns better when they can admire someone without feeling obliged to become someone else. Families help when they turn the idol into a question rather than a comparison. “What can you learn?” educates more effectively than “why don’t you play like them?”.
Expert quote
A good role model is not someone to copy, but someone who helps you understand the game better. Guide that admiration so the child learns principles rather than disguises; judgement rather than imitation. Elite football is not copied: it is read.
— José Ignacio Marcet · Marcet Research Institute · 2026 World Cup Development Observatory · Code 202603182024
Frequently asked questions about role models in football
Is it good for my child to have role models in football?
Yes, as long as they use them to learn rather than copy an identity. A role model can inspire habits, decisions and values, but a young player still needs to build their own path.
How can I stop my child comparing themselves with their idols?
Turn comparison into observation. Instead of saying “you should play like them”, ask which detail they can learn and how they could adapt it to their age, position and current level.
What should I do if they only admire fame, boots or style?
Do not ridicule them. You can guide the conversation towards football: how the player makes decisions, helps the team, moves without the ball or reacts after making a mistake.
Why is it important to talk about gratitude in football?
Because a player also develops through the way they close chapters. Being grateful for what they experienced, even when it is time to move on, helps build maturity, respect and a sense of belonging.
How can I explain that business should not overshadow the sport?
You can distinguish between spectacle and development. Professional football involves money, VIP boxes and transfers, but a young player develops through habits, learning, teamwork, effort and good decisions.
Practical conclusion
Role models in football are not templates to copy, but mirrors that can help young players learn to see the game more clearly. Day 13 of the 2026 World Cup reminds us that a young player can admire Pedri while still finding their own path, that closing a chapter with gratitude also teaches valuable lessons, and that business can overshadow the sport if families do not discuss it critically.
For a family, good support means protecting the child’s identity. They can have role models, ambitions and dreams. But they do not need to become somebody else, measure themselves through rumours or believe football becomes more valuable when it appears in a VIP box or transfer deal. What matters is learning to play, decide, show gratitude and grow without losing themselves in the noise.
Keep learning with Marcet Knowledge
At Marcet Knowledge, every World Cup matchday is viewed as an opportunity to better support the development of young footballers. For families, talking about role models, gratitude and the business of football can help them experience the game with greater perspective and less pressure.
