Carrick was convinced he would go all the way to the top (Picture: Getty)
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 were plenty 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 career in Manchester eventually fizzled out, leaving after nine years in the summer of 2024.
Martial is currently playing for Mexican side Monterrey after a brief 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 former England defender.
Dalot recalled his training sessions up against the mercurial Frenchman, convinced he could have been ‘the best in the world’.
‘I’m going to say it because I’m going to combine what, obviously, he could do in games, but in training,’ Dalot told Rio Ferdinand Presents.
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Martial spent nine years at Old Trafford (Picture: Getty)
‘And I played a lot against him, so it was really, really tough to play. And he was one of those that, if he had obviously a bit more consistency, sometimes he would disconnect a little bit from everything. But if he wanted, he could be the best player in the world. Easily.’
At that point in the interview, Ferdinand interrupted to reveal Carrick had once told him Martial was good enough to be officially crowned the best player in the world. The current United boss played alongside the forward for four seasons before hanging up his boots
‘You know, Carrick said to me when he first signed that Martial could win the Ballon d’Or,’ Ferdinand said.
Carrick and Martial were teammates for four seasons (Picture: Getty)
Dalot replied: ‘As soon as I came, I would believe that.
‘In training, he could do things that you’d say you had to stop training. You know, those moments where you say… you want to blow the whistle and say, “Okay, let’s go inside.” And I had a few. I remember Juan Mata also had those things of quality.’
Dalot also spoke glowingly of Marcus Rashford, another who left United after struggling for form and consistency. The England international joined Barcelona on loan with an option to buy last summer.
‘Rashford could be anything that he wants also,’ Dalot said.
‘But I put Anthony (in the team) and I don’t put Rashford because, in training, at the top, Anthony was a little bit different. And he could do everything.’
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