A star is born

Before examining the superstar illusion in action, let’s dive deeper into what superstardom actually means. Pan et al. characterize stardom as a mix between talent and popularity—but why are both measures important? Talent captures objective evaluations of a player’s performance using predefined criteria while popularity reflects a more subjective perception of the player. When talent and popularity are looked at simultaneously, the researchers are able to uncover a holistic understanding of judgments around the player. In the study specifically, talent was determined by WhoScored ratings and popularity was measured by Instagram follower count.

The impact of identity

The researchers recruited 500 participants from the UK via an online recruitment platform (250 men and 250 women with an average age of 42). The participants were instructed to watch and evaluate 10 Premier League highlight videos from the 2021-22 season. Five of these videos featured superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah, while the other five showcased non-superstars.

Participants were randomly divided into two groups. The control group watched the videos with players visible, while the treatment group viewed the same videos with the players' identifiable features blurred. This method functions like a blind wine tasting—removing the celebrity factor to assess whether it influences our judgments. After each video, participants rated the goalscorer's performance from 1 (poor) to 7 (outstanding). Participants were also asked demographic questions about themselves and football-related questions to assess their knowledge of the sport. 

The results turned conventional wisdom on its head. When players were visible, superstars consistently received lower performance ratings than non-superstars—about 0.11 points less. More strikingly, when identities were hidden, this gap widened to 0.23 points. Fame didn’t boost evaluations, it actually hurt them. This held true even after controlling for demographics, club loyalties, and goal type (long-shot, solo, or long-pass goals), suggesting the observed effect was not a chance occurrence. Interestingly, while 51% of participants reported having a favorite club, this preference did not affect how the superstars were rated. Home advantage? I think not. 

The findings reveal that even performance judgments are tainted by bias. When evaluating players, we may subconsciously overcorrect, holding stars to higher standards. In essence, the findings suggest that performance judgments are shaped not just by what players do, but by who they are believed to be. Rather than inflating evaluations, extreme popularity may trigger higher standards, revealing a paradox of fame: the more visible the star, the less room there is to impress.

The surprising results from this study challenge our understanding of talent recognition. The disappearance of the "superstar premium" when player identities are obscured suggests that we might be crediting famous players more than they deserve, while undervaluing outstanding but less popular performances. Lesser-known players might need to significantly outperform their famous counterparts to achieve similar recognition—an issue that holds substantial implications across sports management, broadcasting, and talent scouting.

The implications of these findings reach beyond sports. Evaluation bias influences recognition everywhere from workplaces to classrooms. This study adds nuance to a well-established effect showing that when expectations soar, fame can trigger harsher scrutiny instead. 

In professional settings, this means top employees or leaders may be judged more severely, while newcomers struggle to be noticed. This experiment underscores the value of blind evaluation like anonymized reviews, auditions, and recruitment that minimize reputation cues. It invites reflection: are we celebrating performance or personality? In their paper, Pan and colleagues challenge fans and media alike to separate skill from status, reminding us how deeply reputation shapes perception. 

Still, the study has a few limitations. Most notably, it focused only on goal highlights and did not consider overall match performance or consistency, which could both be significant drivers in talent recognition. Future work could longitudinally explore longer timeframes or other domains, from music to academia, to see where fame helps and where it hinders.

This study highlights an uncomfortable truth in football that fame creates a distorted lens through which we view performance. By showing that superstars receive lower performance ratings than non-superstars, and that this gap expands when identities are hidden, Pan and colleagues illuminate the complex psychology behind how we judge talent. The findings suggest top talent benefit from a “superstar effect" that inflates their perceived performance even when objective play quality doesn't justify it. Meanwhile, non-superstars must deliver exceptional performances just to break through our cognitive biases. The takeaway? In football, as in life, those who truly shine may not always be under the brightest spotlight. Sometimes, true brilliance comes from those working twice as hard for half the recognition.

This article summarizes:

Pan, Y., Pereira, M. H., Gomez-Gonzalez, C., & Dietl, H. M. (2025). The superstar effect on perceived performance in professional football: An online experiment. Journal of Economic Psychology, 106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2024.102776