Is he really worth it? 

Harry Maguire to Manchester United for £80 million.  A world record fee for a defender!  Once the big news of the big money move had broken then came the big question, “Is he really worth it?”

What’s he done really?  Maguire has been impressive for England in that rarest of specimens- a World Cup with plenty to be positive about.  He has impressed and stood out as a leader for Leicester.  Yet what has he really achieved in the game to merit such a price tag?  

Paul Merson gave an initial passionate estimation of his strengths and weaknesses-that he’s a good defender in a back three (as seen with England), shows quality in defending deep and winning ball in the air (as seen with Leicester), but will be exposed by players with pace if defending higher up the pitch.  The price tag was in his eyes, “Ridiculous”.  Although, he did soften this shortly after and gave his quality more credit. 

Maybe the price can be better understood for his potential rather than by prizes or performance.  He seems to be rated as a good trainer, a fast learner and someone who shows leadership qualities in his character.  

The price placed on Maguire’s head comes from others.  He seems to be handling it well for now, despite his club’s recent form.  Yet, for someone who is so highly prized for his performances he joins other professional footballers in a challenge they face not on the pitch, but in their minds.  When they are being judged and valued so highly for their performances how will they respond when things go wrong?

This is connected to what is known as “contingent self worth” where an individual’s self esteem is based on the approval of others or on how they rate in comparison to others.  It can also be contingent on the success they experience in life.  

Clark Carlisle is a former professional footballer who has struggled with severe depression and mental health issues during and after his days as a player.  He explains his response to being out for nearly two years with an injury. “Football was me. I was Clark the footballer.  The fact that was taken away, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I couldn’t see the reason for anyone to be proud of me.” 

After retiring as a footballer, and receiving the support and help of others around him, he reflected “I had my priorities all wrong.  Football defined me.  It gave me my position in life…Being a father and a husband means more.”

Interestingly this approach to having a more rounded understanding of self-worth than performances on the pitch or comparisons with others has brought success in other sports.  Derek McGrath’s pastoral approach with a young Waterford hurling squad, in encouraging not only growth in hurling, but beyond in personal life and relationships brought some success.  

More recently, on a different patch of grass in Portrush, Shane Lowry’s daughter waiting for him at the end of the round was what helped him stay in front of the field under the pressure of leading the Open.  He was more than a golfer. His worth was based on more than that round.    

Whilst we mightn’t have the price tag over us of a Harry Maguire our own self worth can be affected by the judgments and opinions of those closest to us.  Our own self esteem can be related to where we are aiming for success in life or in the job or role in which we find signifiance.  

How can we develop a sense of self-worth that is more stable and less affected by the changing nature of life and relationships that seems to kick us up and down the pitch like the proverbial football?

Henri Nouwen, a Dutch pastor and priest, who lived a considerable amount of his life serving those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, says- “For me, God is the one who calls me the beloved, and I have a desire to express to others how I try to become more fully who I already am.”  In this he expresses his own worth coming from the security of being loved by God.

Sadly many today have an understanding of Christianity that believes that God requires our moral perfomance to earn His love.  However, the gospel is good news because it says just the reverse that despite deserving something very different, by faith, we are adopted into God’s family and receive His love.  So we can live confidently out of God’s love, not in an anxious pursuit of it.  

What difference might it make if our worth was seen not in our performance, or even in our potential, but in the value placed on us by the God who made us and gave His Son to pay for us?