Zoe Maguire, a proud mother, posted on Instagram after receiving the most recent barrage of online criticism, chants from supporters inside Hampden Park, and treatment from some media outlets following his performance against Scotland earlier this week.
The Manchester United center-back who sadly scored an own goal just 20 minutes after entering the game cost England the game, which they ultimately won 3-1 and never appeared to be in serious danger of losing.
After the break, Maguire came on as a substitute and was met with mocking, anticipatory chants of “ooooh” from the home crowd every time he took the ball, as well as ironic cheers after every pass — treatment that undoubtedly caused the tense response planned. His mother had endured so much ridicule in the days prior that she had had enough.
The mother of four shared a lengthy post on Instagram in which she stated: “As a mum, seeing the level of negative and abusive comments that some fans, pundits, and the media are making about my son is disgraceful and totally unacceptable to any walk of life let alone someone who works his socks off for club and country.
The situation that has been created out of nothing is unacceptable, and I was there on the stand as usual. I recognise that there are highs and lows, as well as positives and drawbacks, in the world of football, but the support Harry has received goes far beyond “football.” It hurts me to watch him go through what he is going through.
“I would hate to have to witness any additional parents or athletes going through this in the future, especially the young boys and girls emerging through the ranks now. Harry has a big heart, so it’s fortunate that he’s mentally tough and can take it when others might not be able to. I wouldn’t want this kind of treatment on anyone.
She wasn’t the only one to defend themselves and ask supporters to leave the stadium; Gareth Southgate responded with an equally fervent defence of his underutilised center-half.
It’s no secret that the out-of-favor defender has had a difficult couple of seasons, and after his holiday drama in Greece, a number of prominent errors at the club level, and now a number of shaky performances for his country, he hasn’t appeared the same for a while.
It hasn’t been a fantastic start to the 2023–24 season either, especially after losing his position as Man United captain earlier this year and being benched (at least until the team suffered many injuries to their backline).
Despite this, there is a growing perception that the 30-year-old is being treated ridiculously and excessively, even by his own supporters, as evidenced by England supporters’ joke that “he scored because you’re sh*t” following the player’s own goal on Tuesday. After the game, Maguire dismissed it, claiming that the excessive attention only “takes the pressure off” his teammates.
United fullback Luke Shaw claimed this last year that he believes Maguire has endured “more abuse than he’s ever seen in football” even before his most recent mistakes and links to finally leaving Old Trafford after a trying couple of years. Do you concur?