Anthony Martial will be different wearing club colours after nearly ten years at Manchester United and those colours are not what anyone would have predicted.
The Frenchman sealed a move to Greece with AEK Athens after a summer full of uncertainty, as Manchester United didn’t extend his contract.
Injury worries, inconsistency, and high wages probably made it difficult for him to find a move to a comparable level in football.
Ultimately, AEK Athens have offered a route back in football, and given that Anthony Martial has a new nickname already in Greece, he’ll clearly be highly valued.
After joining AEK, Anthony Martial has now broken his silence, sending his first message since the shock move.
Anthony Martial to AEK Athens
Martial will be reunited with the likes of Facundo Pellistri in Greece and Shola Shoretire, as they joined Panathinaikos and PAOK respectively this summer.
Alongside Olympiacos, these three sides are the heavyweights in Greece so Martial, in theory, should get plenty of chances to make an impact.
However, it is worth noting that his last professional football game was all the way back in December for Manchester United when he played vs Bournemouth.
His United career ended with a whimper, in the shadows as a youthful team had moved on after beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
The Frenchman is eager to put that all behind him and look forward, as his first message since signing in Greece indicates.
Wearing the No. 26 jersey, Martial posted a picture of himself standing in AEK Athens’ stadium as well as in front of their eagle statue and wrote: “New Chapter. Let’s go [AEK Athens]”.
Clearly still a dressing room favourite, Martial got responses from many Manchester United squad members.
Bruno Fernandes reacted with three heart emojis, while Marcus Rashford called him “My bro”, adding two heart emojis.
Harry Maguire, his club captain for a long time, wished him good luck, while fellow summer departure Donny van de Beek wished him all the best.
Jadon Sancho was also among those who responded, calling him “My brother” with a single heart emoji.
A fall from grace
At 28, Martial should theoretically be in his peak years right now, arguably rivalling the likes of Kylian Mbappe at the top of the game.
That statement sounds like pure fantasy, sarcasm, and exaggeration with the benefit of hindsight, but when he broke through, the world was at his feet.
At just 18, he arrived at one of the most heavily scrutinised clubs in the world and played like he was a plug-and-play striker, so seamless was his integration.
His debut goal is the stuff of legends and he touched double figures in goals in his debut season itself.
Unfortunately, barring flickers of form under Jose Mourinho then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, that spark never turned into the fire that could light up the league.
Now in Greece during what should be his peak, there is still a chance for him to impress and move back to a top-five league but for an ailing body which has gone through so many injuries, it doesn’t look possible anymore.
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