the prototype of the dumbass footballer is funny because they're not stupid (well some of them are, statistics and all) they're just alienated and suffer no consequences for their actions
cause like not to doxx myself lmao (tho I think I'm mentioned this way back in the day) but i went to school with someone who ended up in the premier league and the national team, and he was very aware he was gonna be a professional footballer by the time he was in high school, I was also in the same classes with his teammates who were in the u18s of a first division team, and they were the only dudes I got along with (and no I wasn't trying to be a wag, all 3 of them had gfs and I had a very unfortunate highschool situationship we don't need to get into lmao), probably the because 2 out of the 3 of them + the one who ended up in the prem (and was also very nice according to my friend who was in his class) were forced to grow up cause they weren't living at home, which made them basically the most palatable teenage boys to be around
mind you all these dudes were also doing the science track in highschool which isn't particularly easy so they were doing academically well as well
that being said I tutored a girl that was dating a kid who was already in the first team of that same club at age 16 and he was already a lost cause... cause ofc he was cheating on her with multiple girls
I feel like that's when the ego starts giving them brain damage idk
the alienation also explains why, for example, so many black brazilian footballers from poor backgrounds ended up supporting bolsonaro, because at that point they don't care about anything, they care about tax cuts and if kids in their place get fucked over, well, they made it out, they should work hard and make it out as well (honestly ronaldo's family as well, they're extremely far right, at least his sisters, and they were incredibly poor growing up)
so yeah, i don't think they're stupid, I think they're allowed to be brainless about a lot of things because they don't suffer the consequences of their own actions, like most rich people, with the added bonus that they get this money and fame really young and grow up in a very macho environment to begin with (because like you won't catch them accidentally being super feminist or pro lgbt or wte, first because that's always a conscious choice and second because THAT would bring direct monetary consequences)