Former Manchester United star Mason Greenwood has started life with Olympique de Marseille in France’s Ligue 1 extremely well, at least on the field. The one-time England international has scored five goals from three Championnat appearances so far as part of a new-look OM side under Roberto De Zerbi with both men arriving at Stade Velodrome over the summer. Greenwood has scored braces against Stade Brestois 29 and Toulouse and also found the net against Stade de Reims on his home debut.
However, no matter how well the 22-year-old plays for Marseille, his displays cannot erase what has happened off the field during his career. Greenwood was charged with attempted rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm as well as controlling and coercive behavior against his partner in October of 2022. By February of 2023, those charges against him were dropped after key witnesses withdrew and new material came to light.
“I am aware of this debate and I understand the question,” said Greenwood at his unveiling. “I do not wish to enter into any controversy. I already had the chance to speak on this topic last year so it is now behind us. My partner and I have rebuilt ourselves together as a couple and spent a year in Madrid. We have been together since we were 15 or 16 and we now have a beautiful little girl who just celebrated her first birthday. I am now looking to the future and I am only focused on OM and our new life together in Marseille.”
Greenwood’s first attempt to relaunch his career following the incident saw him join Getafe in Spain’s La Liga on loan where he enjoyed a decent spell on the field. Eight goals and six assists as part of a midtable Azulones side reignited debate over his potential United future. However, a well-documented clash with England star Jude Bellingham when playing against Real Madrid illustrated how difficult any potential reintegration could be for club and country.
The reaction to Greenwood’s potential reintegration by United, the clash with the Three Lions’ current star man Bellingham and the general public stance towards him in his home country has likely dictated his expected switch from representing the English at international level to Jamaica. With Steve McClaren now in charge of the Reggae Boyz and familiar with the Bradford native from their long associations with United, it was arguably the only option available to Greenwood if he wanted a future of any description at international level.
Leaving England, and no longer representing United or the Three Lions, does not mean that his transgressions can or should be ignored though, and despite positive comments from his manager the reaction to Greenwood in France has been decidedly mixed. Marseille’s Mayor Benoit Payan even made his position clear on the potential signing of Greenwood before Les Phoceens’s leadership went through with the deal.
“I do not want my club to be covered by the shame of someone who beats his wife,” he said of the club that had opened the doors of its Robert-Louis-Dreyfus training facility to female victims of domestic abuse during COVID-19. “It is unacceptable. I cannot imagine for a second that Pablo Longoria would make such a major mistake. Greenwood’s behavior is unspeakable. I saw images that deeply shocked me. Massacring his wife like that is unworthy of a man and I believe that he cannot have a place on this team.”
Yet Greenwood is now not just a member of Marseille’s starting XI but arguably its star turn on the field with five goals from just three games to lead Ligue 1’s scoring charts, ahead of Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola who has been unleashed since Kylian Mbappe’s departure. Not only has this inflicted a sense of awkwardness on much of the fanbase who are ill at ease with Greenwood’s past, it has also put De Zerbi firmly in the firing line as the most public source of support for his under-fire player.
“There was a lot of controversy around him — that is true,” said the Italian after the Englishman’s double in the win over Toulouse. “I do not want to get into his private life or to talk about it. As far as I am concerned, as a person and with me, he is a really good guy.”
The former Brighton and Hove Albion boss has been walking a tightrope in press conferences and interviews since Greenwood’s arrival, with his hint that scoring twice on his debut against Brest would “end all of the media controversy” going down particularly poorly. De Zerbi tried to justify his stance when speaking with L’Equipe ahead of this season and also defended OM’s decision to go ahead with the move after gathering character information on the former United man.
“I did not defend him,” argued the new Marseille tactician. “I said that when a player becomes my player then I will be the first to pin him against the wall if he does wrong. Outwardly, I will always defend him as I would defend my son. The personal question is not part of my reasoning. I know what Pablo did and all of the human information that he collected on Greenwood. The club took all possible precautions before making a decision.”
The incendiary reaction to L’Equipe’s recent ‘OM-Greenwood: Unconditional Love’ headline prompted the prestigious French publication’s editorial staff to issue a very public apology and speaks volumes about the awkward nature of this being thrust upon many Marseille and soccer fans in France, who appear ill-equipped to deal with the complicated process of talking about a soccer player while foregrounding is off-field history. Although the player’s tremendous form on the field cannot be argued with — and his ability was never in doubt — his previous actions cannot and will not be forgotten by many who refuse to overlook what has happened, no matter how many goals are scored or trophies are won with the French giants.
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