football hero
- noun
- /ˈfʊtbɔl ˈhɪroʊ/
- He was a year ahead of her in the county high school, a football hero in a town that worshiped the sport.
- a former football hero
- a high school football hero
- a local football hero
Examples
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My dad's younger brother was a high school football hero in 1947.
Blog text (4) -
Surrounded by his wife Jean and three kids, the football hero climbed back and found himself at Samford University.
Blog text (24) -
Then, when you went back to school, you turned out to be a football hero, too.
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A football hero, a baseball hero, an officer in the Marines.
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It takes a football hero to get along with the girls.
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But will the football hero's actions have an effect on how other kids view Chy?
Blog text (15) -
The town celebrated its football hero after he led the team to victory with an incredible performance.
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As a football hero, she inspired young athletes with her dedication and remarkable skills on the field.
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Growing up, Jake always dreamed of becoming a football hero, admired for both his talent and sportsmanship.
Synonyms
A person admired for brave actions and good qualities
A very famous person admired for great achievements
A team member who is the best and most important
How Admired
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase 'football hero' is a straightforward noun-noun combination where the meaning (a football player admired for skill or achievement) is directly compositional from 'football' + 'hero'. This pattern is common across languages and in English, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words will readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Football hero paints a simple picture: a player who wins the game at an important moment, with football the game and hero the person who 'saves the day' for fans, so the term means 'a player admired for great skill or a big achievement'.