The last 30 years have been a big push on the player marketing side. Led by players like Beckham, Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar and now you have Mbappe and Haaland too. They created brands as big as some clubs, bigger in some cases. You can see some of this in how Villa are portrayed in the media now being largely about Gerrard and not the actual club. This and the rise of international fans in new markets like Asia, Africa and America who are more plastic and shift their allegiance. Look how many fans we gained online when Trez or Samatta joined. The games changing and not necessarily for the better.