When he landed in Marseille to finish his transfer last week, he was greeted with heroism and cheers from the crowd.
However, this fervent supporter base in a football hotbed with working-class roots and a diverse population has become fractured since Mason Greenwood was signed.
Benoit Payan, the mayor of Marseille, said he wanted to block the transfer and that it would cover the city in “shame”.
Still, the club moved forward. Aside from off-field concerns, Marseille’s £26.7 million ($34.5 million) offer for Greenwood is definitely a fair price for a player of his caliber and age, even though Manchester United has a sizable sell-on clause. Lazio and other European teams were eager to sign him as well.
The 22-year-old has left United permanently after the team abandoned their ambitions to reintegrate him into their first-team lineup last summer due to intense criticism from both the public and the club itself. The criticism stemmed from a piece published by The Athletic that broke the news of the club’s intentions. He was then sent on loan by United to Getafe in La Liga, where he was named player of the year the previous campaign.
The case against Greenwood for attempted rape, assault, and coercive control was dropped by the UK Crown Prosecution Service in February of last year, citing “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and fresh material meant there was no longer a realistic possibility of conviction.” Greenwood refuted each and every accusation made against him.
It is evident now that many fans are content with Greenwood’s presence on the streets of Marseille. He will undoubtedly help their club, especially after his successful loan stint at Getafe, when he made 36 appearances across all competitions and scored 10 goals and provided six assists.
Under freshly hired manager Roberto De Zerbi, Marseille has optimism again after another turbulent season that saw the club go through three different permanent managers.
Seated near the Stade Velodrome, Marseille’s home field, is the Brasserie Le Batavia Tabac. A group of middle-aged guys are smoking cigarettes and sipping coffee. They are happy that a player of Greenwood’s caliber has chosen Marseille.
They saw Greenwood as the ideal choice to take Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s position, who confirmed his departure for Al Qadsiah of the Saudi Pro League the same night Greenwood joined. Last season, Aubameyang scored 30 goals for Marseille.
Maybe some quiet excitement, but there is no Greenwood mania in Marseille, no rush the next morning to buy a replica shirt with his name on the back at the club store adjacent to the Velodrome. Rather, there is a constant stream of admirers, visitors, and families.
The Athletic saw the first fan an hour after the club shop opened at 10 a.m.: a teenage boy wearing a “Greenwood, 10” shirt who was visiting from the northwest of France with his family. According to his parents, they had no idea who the football player was.
The general attitude of the fan base was encapsulated by Quentin Courtot, a 21-year-old wearing a Marseille shirt, outside the store. He remarked, “Half the fans are happy, while the other half are worried.” “If he performs well, he will be very popular, as this is one of the best athletic communities in France with a highly passionate fans. It might turn out to be a fantastic signing.
That sentiment is shared by others across the city.
Olivier Marecaux, 24, originally from Chile, took a quick smoke break from his hectic waiting shift at the Cafe du Commerce close to Vieux Port to discuss his side’s latest recruit with The Athletic.
“I talked with some friends and I think we all agree that Greenwood is a very good player, talented — but there is this past and the allegations that make it hard to support him 100 per cent,” he said.
“Some will say he’s not a good person. But if he starts well and plays well, everyone will love him and the past will be forgotten. Generally, the Marseille fans are like that. A lot will be judged on performance because they want to win. It’s very passionate and it’s all about the present, not the future.”
“It’s controversial, obviously,” said Etienne, 30, a couple of hours later at a drinking spot overlooking Vieux Port. “Myself? I don’t support the fact we sign someone like this. But it’s a massive club. If he succeeds, it’s a good move and the type of city where, if he does well, everyone will back him.
“Football is so important to the culture here. If he plays at his level, everyone will forget his past.”
Chris Makin, a former defender who played for Marseille in the 1996–1997 season, can witness to the fervor of the supporters.
“If he scores 20 to 30 goals next season, the fans will be on his side,” Makin told The Athletic. “That’s the world we live in at the moment. He obviously has a manager who believes in him.
“My main memories of my time there are what a football club OM is and how immense the fans are — as long as you don’t lose a home game. I think it’s a no-brainer for OM at that price because he will guarantee goals and also because of his relatively young age.
“I think it’s a signing that shows intent from the club. Greenwood couldn’t have picked a better club in terms of fanbase. He’ll love it.”
The dispersed fans are not limited to Marseille’s streets, though.
Online, both #GreenwoodNotWelcome and #GreenwoodWelcome have trended over the past week.
Many organizations and supporters hold the same views as the mayor of the city, and as a result, the Marseille hierarchy has placed them in an untenable moral situation. They believe it conflicts with Pablo Longoria, the club president, who decided to allow female victims of domestic abuse to use their training facility during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In this left-leaning and multicultural city, where “F*** the RN” (National Front) stickers are emblazoned on walls and the locals partied late into the night earlier this month following an alliance of left-wing parties’ unexpected victory in the French election, Marseille also has a reputation as a progressive club.
“The president spoke about morality after stadium violence, he’s spoken out against illegally streaming football — but there’s no morality for a footballer, just because he’s good. It’s embarrassing and, as a fan, you can’t do anything,” Aryles, of Marseille multimedia outlet Massilia Zone, said.
Female campaign groups have also added their voice to the debate. Dare Feminism said: “Once again, talent is considered enough to turn a blind eye to these accusations.”
“It is an illustration of the impunity enjoyed by people accused of sexist and sexual violence. The vast majority return to normal lives,” said Carine Delahaie, spokesperson for the Femmes Solidaires association.
Meanwhile, the United fan group Female Fans Against Greenwood’s Return said of the transfer: “We hope that this whole sorry episode might spark some sort of change, and make young players realise that you can have all the talent in the world but, ultimately, it’s your humanity and compassion, or lack of it, that will make or break your success.”
The day following Greenwood’s signing, on Friday afternoon, a news conference was hurriedly scheduled at Marseille’s training field, which is located 15 minutes away from the city center.
A throng of enthusiastic young Marseille supporters stood outside, readying their iPhones in the hopes of spotting Greenwood. His signing was praised as “amazing.” They were disappointed, though, since he was gone in an instant, whisked through the gates in a white BMW.
Greenwood said inside that he “did not want” to discuss the accusations he made off the field. After that, Marseille declined to respond to any inquiries about the subject from media outlets, including The Athletic.
A day earlier, Greenwood told the French newspaper La Provence: “I am aware of all this, of course, (the mayor’s comments) but I do not want to enter into any controversy, I already expressed my feelings last year (in a press release from August 2023). Today, all of this is now behind us.”
Greenwood spoke to about a dozen reporters for about ten minutes during the press conference, which started with the introduction of fellow new signing Lilian Brassier. A large portion of that time was spent translating his responses from English to French. His responses were succinct and direct. Although he grinned for the obligatory photos wearing his new No. 10 shirt, he was solemn and thoughtful.
He mentioned that he and his girlfriend were excited to begin their new journey in France and that they now had a beautiful baby girl. Greenwood stated that he was “focused on club football this season” and that Marseille already felt like home. He continued by saying that De Zerbi had a significant role in persuading him to sign.
Am at Olympique de Marseille’s training ground for press conference welcoming Mason Greenwood to the club – he’s just arrived
Marseille will pay initial £23.3m, with a further £3.4m in add-ons, bringing total package to £26.7m, although #MUFC have secured a hefty sell-on clause pic.twitter.com/OX7N9tUxau
— Tom Burrows (@TBurrows16) July 19, 2024
He was seated next Longoria, the club president. The 38-year-old Spaniard seemed excited about the signing, although he acknowledged that there were many doubts and worries following his arrival.
“I respect everyone’s opinion,” Longoria said. “But I am not here to get into controversy. We are talking about the past. It is a complex and old situation.
“It is time to talk about the future. As president, I will support Mason to help him achieve the club’s objectives. I will help him as a player and as a man. He has all the values that we want to develop in the club like all his team-mates who are here and those who will arrive.”
Greenwood was escorted away after answering just football-related questions. He then posed for pictures with Longoria and Fabrizio Ravanelli, the club’s new sporting adviser.
Greenwood has been dubbed “world-class” by his new manager, De Zerbi, who has pledged to stand up for players “like my kids.”
There is a sense that the fans here will support Greenwood to the hilt if he shines at Marseille and helps the team reclaim its past glory. Think of Leeds, England, or Naples, Italy, as examples of a football-crazed city where Marseille, a well-known and historically successful team, is adored.
There are a few football shirts from Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Juventus scattered across the city, but OM’s shirt is the most well-liked one. Marseille murals may be seen all over the plaza in the La Plaine neighborhood of the city, including the city’s famous and massive 67,000-seat Stade Velodrome stadium.
Marseille is the only French team to have won both the Champions League, which debuted in 1993, and Ligue 1. Their most recent victory came in 2010, just before rival Paris Saint-Germain, who was supported by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), went on to win the league nine times.
Even so, Marseille is still lagging behind, even after American Frank McCourt—the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers—invested over €500 million to purchase the team eight years ago.
The previous season was equally perplexing as Marseille began the campaign under Marcelino, then under Gennaro Gattuso and, after Gasset was fired by Ivory Coast midway through the AFCON, under Jean-Louis Gasset. They struggled at home, finishing ninth, but they advanced to the Europa League semifinals.
De Zerbi’s transfer from Brighton is seen as a coup for Marseille and Ligue 1, which, following a chaotic drama, has just managed to acquire domestic TV rights for the next season.
They anticipate finishing significantly higher up the table this time around with De Zerbi in the dugout and Greenwood in the side.
Greenwood’s career in Marseille might potentially commence from his birthplace of Bradford, in the United Kingdom. On August 3, League Two team Bradford City’s Valley Parade will host Marseille against Sunderland.
On August 25, he might perhaps make his debut in front of the home crowd against Reims.
In a city where many are finding it difficult to accept his coming, he will help convert the skeptics in Marseille if he gets off to a quick start.
(Top photo: Longoria introduces Greenwood. Clement Mahoudeau/AFP via Getty Images)
