Manchester United manager Michael Carrick was convinced Anthony Martial would win the Ballon d’Or following his arrival at Old Trafford.
Arriving from Monaco in 2015, Martial was tipped for greatness, fuelling the hype with a sensational solo goal on his debut against Liverpool.
While there have been loads of moments of brilliance, injuries and inconsistent form meant he never truly fulfilled his immense potential. After scoring 90 goals in 317 appearances for the club, his profession in Manchester eventually fizzled out, leaving after nine years in the summertime of 2024.
Martial is currently playing for Mexican side Monterrey after a transient spell at AEK Athens.
His former teammate Diogo Dalot sat down with club legend Rio Ferdinand this week and named Martial in his all-time five-aside team, much to the surprise of the previous England defender.
Dalot recalled his training sessions up against the mercurial Frenchman, convinced he might have been ‘the most effective on the planet’.
‘I’m going to say it because I’m going to mix what, obviously, he could do in games, but in training,’ Dalot told Rio Ferdinand Presents.
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‘And I played quite a bit against him, so it was really, really tough to play. And he was certainly one of people who, if he had obviously a bit more consistency, sometimes he would disconnect slightly bit from every little thing. But when he wanted, he could possibly be the most effective player on the planet. Easily.’
At that time within the interview, Ferdinand interrupted to disclose Carrick had once told him Martial was ok to be officially crowned the most effective player on the planet. The present United boss played alongside the forward for 4 seasons before hanging up his boots
‘You understand, Carrick said to me when he first signed that Martial could win the Ballon d’Or,’ Ferdinand said.
Dalot replied: ‘As soon as I got here, I might consider that.
‘In training, he could do things that you just’d say you needed to stop training. You understand, those moments where you say… you ought to blow the whistle and say, “Okay, let’s go inside.” And I had just a few. I remember Juan Mata also had those things of quality.’
Dalot also spoke glowingly of Marcus Rashford, one other who left United after struggling for form and consistency. The England international joined Barcelona on loan with an choice to buy last summer.
‘Rashford could possibly be anything that he wants also,’ Dalot said.
‘But I put Anthony (within the team) and I don’t put Rashford because, in training, at the highest, Anthony was slightly bit different. And he could do every little thing.’
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