The Modern-Day Dorian Gray: Disturbing and Uncanny Similarities between Paul Gascoigne, Liam Payne; and the Downfall of the ‘Celebrity’

 · October 30 2024, 12:00
The Modern-Day Dorian Gray: Disturbing and Uncanny Similarities between Paul Gascoigne, Liam Payne; and the Downfall of the ‘Celebrity’
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It is easy to deride footballers without an ounce of sympathy; especially when so many of them have the holy trinity of traits deemed worthiest in the 21st century... youth, money and 'Instagram-worthy' beauty.

After all, this is a 21st century filled with an obsession of instant gratification, reality distorted by social media, and a general sense of apathy towards hard work and integrity. And the two archetypal celebrity tropes that rule over the current chaos are (in my mind at least) athletes and pop-stars. These two enviable occupations are connected not just with the riches, fame and standards of life on offer, but how these people can come from nothing; humble byproducts of the same capitalist-trodden lower class culture of the average joe. Hollywood is often viewed as a malevolent nepotistic machine that grooms movie stars from the minute they can walk and talk. Footballers and musicians? Less so. They can be formed anywhere, from the streets of Stockport for Phil Foden and Kobbie Mainoo to the sticky-floored local dives of North Shields for Sam Fender. These rags to riches stories are heartwarming, inspiring to the common man or woman, but they come at a price. And when the riches start to wear thin and the glory days are over, those humble beginnings in towns just like mine or yours haven’t prepared them for the media, the scrutiny, and the insatiable fear of ‘what next?’

Celebrity culture wasn’t really a thing back in 1890, when the inimitable Oscar Wilde published the (at the time) highly controversial novel ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’. But the themes of the book as a whole; and the demise of the titular anti-hero serve as a stark warning to those who are catapulted and corrupted into the world of fame and fortune. When everything is handed to you on a silver platter, it can steer you towards self-destructive consequences in chasing that next high… that next goal… that next hit of relevance in a world that is always moving onto the next big thing.

This topic feels particularly poignant in the wake of Liam Payne, who sent shockwaves across the world with the news of his untimely death. The response on social media, from damage-limitation statements from former naysayers and record labels… to inhumane and callous jokes, has really held up a mirror to the society we live in now. How the death of a 31 year-old human being who once had the world at his feet is a cause for comedy or self-preservation. Funny how these ‘washed up’ celebrities are the figure of ridicule until they’re no longer with us, at which point we hastily put out a PR salvage job.

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The very fact that the phrases ‘washed up’ and ’31 year-old’ fit so neatly together in a sentence with very little shock value just highlights the limited shelf-life and relevance of the modern celebrity; especially in the context of footballers. Dele Alli and Neymar are perhaps the most notable examples from the last few years; both suffering seismic falls from grace, but many former icons and wonderkids alike have seen their star fade quicker than the runtime of a Netflix TV series, including Adriano, Michael Johnson and Andre Schurrle, for a multitude of circumstances, but linked through the elephant in the room of modern football; mental health.

Perhaps the poster child of footballing talent and severe mental health struggles is Newcastle’s very own son; Paul Gascoigne. There is nothing new to be said about the mercurial Gateshead-born midfielder’s natural talent; and how he played the game his way to the benefit or detriment of his career... but the harrowing tales of his reported suicide attempts in luxury hotels echo with sickening familiarity to the final hours of Liam Payne on the third floor of the CasaSur Hotel of Buenos Aires in October 2024. From abnormal media appearances to a reliance on self-medication through drugs and alcohol, these were two men crying out for help in their own lost and desperate ways, while clearly still wearing their wounded pride on their sleeves. Pride that had been reinforced day after day by the adoring world like golden armour that was slowly being chipped away as the glory days glistened into the distance.

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Many footballers have spoken candidly about their struggles with retirement such as Alan Shearer and Peter Crouch. Both discussed on respective podcasts the slow realisation that the almost unfathomable highs of top-level professional football were gone for good; and the acceptance that they were never getting that adrenaline rush of scoring and winning again. Even Paul McCartney; who has led a long and successful career well into his 80s… discussed the despair of feeling washed up at 27; the age he was when he left behind arguably the most influential musical group of all time; The Beatles.

It’s that sense of ‘what next?’ and ‘how can I experience those highs again?’ Many never do. And even the cushty media roles enjoyed by the aforementioned Shearer and Crouch must surely pale in comparison to hearing the roar of tens of thousands of football fans screaming your name after scoring a crucial goal for club or country?

But Shearer and Crouch are the lucky ones. Hundreds of footballers play in the Premier League every year; there are only three or four spaces on that Match of the Day sofa… so what do the rest of them do? Where do they go once their knees pack in at 34 and the phone stops ringing?

What indeed.

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Former Newcastle player Dan Gosling recently appeared on Talksport and opened up on his own recent struggles of being unemployed and suddenly being inactive in the sport that will have served as his guiding light for as long as he can remember. Gosling spoke frankly of how the FA could offer proper support and guidance to footballers as they ponder their next steps. After all, football is all they’ve ever known. They’ve ridden that journey like a hitchhiker on a pickup truck. But once the pickup stops midway down the path, it can be a daunting process of putting one foot in front of the other to see what comes next.

Gosling’s comments were met with derision on social media; with sayings like ‘welcome to the real world’ and ‘entitled’ being thrown around; and these points are true to an extent. But don’t hate the players; hate the system. This entitlement and fame and glory has been handed to footballers like golden handcuffs; trapping them on a pedestal that's very difficult to step down from.

Ultimately, things need to change. Whether it’s the ridiculous bloating of player wages, the after-career support from the FA, or simply a level of empathy from fans like you and me. These footballers were just like us once. But for them, a football trial or X-Factor audition changed everything, but came with no preparation for the fame, fortune and scrutiny that would come with it.

The only major difference between Liam Payne and Paul Gascoigne is that one is no longer with us. And in the eyes of the aesthetics-obsessed media, it was the one who remained young, beautiful and had time on his side to turn it around. A modern-day testament to the easily-corrupted boy of Oscar Wilde’s classic.

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