Eliezer Mayenda’s journey from online criticism to cult hero at Sunderland should make fans think twice before pressing send
Some transfers are ultimately judged by numbers, but Eliezer Mayenda’s Sunderland story should be remembered for something far more important.
Yes, Sunderland have turned a player signed for around €1million into a deal worth around €25million, with sell-on clauses potentially still to come. From an accounting perspective and in terms of SCR, it is an excellent piece of business. But Mayenda leaves Wearside as more than a financial success story. He leaves as a player who improved, adapted, contributed and, most importantly, proved people wrong.
His Sunderland career was not always straightforward. There was the injury in his first training session, the difficult loan move to Hibernian and the moments where things simply did not fall for him. Many players have talent, but not all of them have the resilience to keep coming back when the easy thing would be to shrink. That is what made Mayenda’s rise so impressive. During Sunderland’s promotion season, he delivered 15 goal contributions and scored twice in the play-offs. No Mayenda, no promotion. It really is that simple.
Yet it is also worth remembering how quickly the mood turned at certain points. After costly misses against Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City over Christmas, the criticism was fierce. Constructive criticism is part of football and always will be. Supporters pay their money, care deeply and have every right to analyse performances. But there is a line, and at times Mayenda did not receive criticism.
He received abuse. “Sell him.” “Bottler.” “Should never play for us again.” And those were just the tame ones. Those sorts of comments are easy to fire out on social media, but they can stick. Mayenda’s story should be a reminder that young players are still developing, still learning and still human. They will miss chances, make mistakes and endure rough spells. The challenge for any fanbase is to decide whether to pile on or help create the conditions for those players to come through the other side.
Mayenda did come through it. He became a cult figure, embraced the club’s culture and left the shirt in a better place than he found it. That is a credit to him, but it should also be a lesson to all of us. Criticise fairly, by all means. But think twice before pressing send.
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