SUMMARY
- Soccer players are some of the most followed and influential people in the world.
- However, this obsession can leave players in uncomfortable situations.
Soccer players are some of the most followed groups of people on the planet. Their social media followers gross millions in figures and have an incredible fandom. A lot of people growing up idolize soccer players and thus soccer players have become a brand of their own. It is safe to say that soccer players are some of the most influential people on earth.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been stalked for a year by a fan who does nothing but harass him and send him obscene letters.
The Liverpool player had to hire private security, change his phone number and install CCTV and alarms.
The woman showed up at his home, at the Liverpool… pic.twitter.com/nPzYeBT3aA
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) February 24, 2024
However, the obsession that fans have with soccer players can soon turn unhealthy. This has happened quite a few times when soccer players have been stalked and followed by their overly obsessed fans.
3 Soccer players who have faced stalking issues
1)Trent Alexander-Arnold
The Liverpool player’s off-the-pitch problems came to public light in 2024. The Sun reports that a s*x-crazed woman has been stalking Trent Alexander-Arnold for over a year and sends him objectionable letters. The woman had even turned up at the player’s house and the Liverpool FC training ground. Trent’s family is reportedly very scared by this incident and has resorted to bodyguards, CCTV surveillance, and a private detective for the player’s well-being.
“We never forced anybody back” ❌
Jurgen Klopp defends against suggestions that Trent Alexander-Arnold was brought back too soon 👇 pic.twitter.com/mMKB3yExUi
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 16, 2024
The player who has already changed his phone number has been advised to be inactive on social media. Even the inboxes of his family members have been bombarded with problematic texts from the suspect. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s employer Liverpool has been alerted by the player’s situation and is ensuring full support to the player. The English player must have had a very tough year, during which his privacy has been heavily breached.
2)Mason Mount
The Manchester United player’s ex-girlfriend Orla Sloan was prosecuted for causing distress and stalking the player. The incident from 2023, affected not only Mason but also his former teammates Billy Gilmour and Ben Chillwell.
Orla Sloan bombarded the three Chelsea player’s phones with a multitude of messages. This broke the players psychologically especially Gilmour who said during the prosecution, “I have not been able to sleep and have had to take sleeping tablets.”
Allegedly, Sloan and Mason met at a party hosted by Ben Chilwell in November 2021 and soon started dating each other. However, the former Chelsea midfielder soon broke up with his girlfriend, prompting Orla Sloan to heavily text the English midfielder.
When Mason Mount blocked her number, the Tik-Tok star then proceeded to text her through 21 different numbers. Orla also pleaded guilty to stalking the duo of Ben Chilwell and Billy Gilmour in September-October of 2022 and received a 12-week sentence.
3)Rio Ferdinand
The former Manchester United player too faced stalking issues in 2010. A lady named Sussane Ibru who was 38 at the time had stalked the English player and his family for months. She reportedly made 400-mile round trips from London to Chesire, North-West England just to harass the defender. Rio Ferdinand in his statement to the court, said that he was afraid of his family’s safety after Sussane had pulled up to her home and demanded to speak with Rio.
Susanne Ibru jailed for 10 weeks and put under restraining order for 10 years for stalking footballer Rio Ferdinand and his family
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) May 9, 2011
Sussane Ibru was found guilty of guilty of harassing the former Manchester United defender in 2011. She was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison and placed on a restraining order for 10 years.
The debate on stalking is perhaps the need of the hour. While soccer players are truly some of the biggest icons, fans should know to respect their personal space. The repeated cases of staking of soccer players have also raised questions about the players as well their family’s security.