Mason Greenwood has the potential to win the Ballon d'Or one day, according to Marseille head coach Roberto de Zerbi.
Former Manchester United forward Greenwood, who is rebuilding his career at Marseille, is enjoying a sparkling season -- scoring 13 goals already this season in Ligue 1 and the Champions League. His brace against Union St.-Gilloise on Tuesday helped his team to a crucial 3-2 win.
De Zerbi said on Friday that there aren't any other players on the continent who have the ability of Greenwood.
"I see him every day, he has a huge potential," De Zerbi said in a news conference. "I don't see any other players in Europe at the same level. He has the potential to win the Ballon d'Or. It will be up to him to decide whether he wants to do everything he can to fight for it or not.
"At the level of the qualities that nature has given him, that his parents have given him, I think he is worthy of the Ballon d'Or.
"I would like him to be more consistent. I know he needs to press with more intensity, he needs to manage the ball better when the team is in trouble, not lose the ball easily but keep it to allow the team to move up because he has the ability to do it."
Greenwood was suspended by Manchester United in January 2022 over allegations relating to a young woman and faced charges including attempted rape and assault before the Crown Prosecution Service announced the case had been discontinued in February 2023. He is not being considered for an England recall, and could instead eventually represent Jamaica on the international stage.
De Zerbi said he pushes Greenwood hard because he knows his potential.
- Greenwood at World Cup would be 'farce,' not 'fair' - Jamaica players
"The important thing is that he understands it in three or four years," he added. "Not necessarily now, when I will no longer train. When he remembers me, he will say, 'ah, it was the coach who really took my head every day, but maybe in the end I managed to progress.'
"I have to leave Marseille in a better situation than when I arrived. Greenwood must be better than the Greenwood I took at the beginning."