“He Can Win the Ballon d’Or” – De Zerbi Issues Greenwood Challenge at Marseille
Mason Greenwood’s resurgence at Marseille has reached a striking new level of discourse, with head coach Roberto De Zerbi publicly declaring that the forward has the talent to become the world’s best player. The comment was not casual praise. It was a statement loaded with expectation and pressure.
Speaking ahead of Marseille’s latest Ligue 1 fixture, De Zerbi framed Greenwood not as a player rediscovering himself, but as one operating on a ceiling few in Europe can reach. That assessment lands at a moment when Greenwood’s form is already forcing broader conversations about his future trajectory.
Greenwood, 23, has scored 13 goals across Ligue 1 and the Champions League this season, an output that places him among Marseille’s most decisive attacking figures. His latest brace against Union Saint-Gilloise sealed a dramatic 3-2 European win earlier this week and reinforced his growing importance in high-leverage moments.
For De Zerbi, the numbers only tell part of the story.
“I see him every day. He has huge potential,” the Marseille coach said during Friday’s press conference. “I don’t see any other players in Europe at the same level. He has the potential to win the Ballon d’Or. It will be up to him to decide if he wants to do everything to fight for it.”
Those words matter because they come from a coach known for demanding tactical discipline and relentless intensity from his attackers. De Zerbi has built his reputation on developing elite technical players, and he is not known for exaggeration in public.
Greenwood’s path to this point has been anything but straightforward. Once considered one of Manchester United’s brightest academy products, his career stalled dramatically in January 2022 when he was suspended following serious allegations. Criminal charges were later dropped in February 2023, but the damage to his standing in English football proved lasting. United moved him on, and an England return is not under consideration. Internationally, a future switch to Jamaica remains a possibility rather than a certainty.
Marseille offered something different. A fresh environment. A demanding coach. And a clear opportunity to rebuild on the pitch rather than in the headlines.
De Zerbi’s praise, however, came with pointed critique. He wants more consistency, more work without the ball, and better decision-making under pressure.
“He needs to press with more intensity,” De Zerbi explained. “He needs to manage the ball better when the team is in trouble. Not lose it easily, but keep it so the team can move up.”
That balance between talent and responsibility sits at the heart of Greenwood’s next phase. Few question his technical quality. His finishing remains elite, his two-footed shooting rare, and his ability to create something from minimal space still separates him from most wide forwards in Ligue 1. What De Zerbi is pushing for is control of games, not just moments.
The Ballon d’Or reference is less prediction than provocation. It is a psychological challenge aimed at forcing Greenwood to confront what kind of player he wants to become. Great attackers score goals. The very best dictate matches.
De Zerbi acknowledged that Greenwood may only fully understand this approach years from now.
“The important thing is that he understands it in three or four years,” he said. “Maybe when I am no longer his coach, he will remember and say I pushed him every day, and in the end I improved.”
There are broader implications here for Marseille as well. A Greenwood operating at maximum consistency would elevate the club’s domestic ambitions and reshape their European credibility. Financially, sustained elite performances would also transform his market value in a way that once seemed impossible.
Whether Greenwood reaches the heights De Zerbi believes are available remains unresolved. Talent opens doors. Habits decide how far you walk through them.
For now, Marseille has a forward in form, a coach applying pressure rather than protection, and a season that feels increasingly pivotal. The next step is not about potential anymore. It is about proof.