Diogo Dalot has suggested Anthony Martial could have been the best player in the world had he wanted to reach such a level, despite the Manchester United forward’s inconsistency at Old Trafford.
Anthony Martial scores a great goal on his debut (Image: PA)
Diogo Dalot has insisted his former Manchester United teammate Anthony Martial “could have been the best player in the world if he wanted to” despite his struggles at Old Trafford.
The Frenchman spent nine years with the Premier League giants, becoming the highest-paid teenager in history under Louis van Gaal. There were some great moments, including his debut goal against Liverpool.
Similarly, he struggled to get into shape and endured long periods where he was unable to reach his goals. Although he has only broken the 20-goal barrier once, Dalot, who often played against Martial in training, believes he could have been one of the best players in the world.
When Martial was asked to provide a dream five-a-side team to join the attack alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, he made this comment, surprising Rio Ferdinand.
“That would be Cris[Ronaldo]and I’ll have another one up front, I think Martial,” the Portuguese defender said. Ferdinand replied: “Martial? I wasn’t expecting it. I know he has great talent, but not for me… Why Martial?”
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Dalot explained: “I say this because we’re going to combine what he can do in games with what he can do in practice. And I played with him a lot, so it was really, really tough to play. And he was one of those guys that obviously if he was a little more consistent, he would disconnect a little bit from everything at times. But if he wanted to, he could be the best player in the world. It’s easy.”
He added: “During training, he could do things that would say he had to stop training. You know, those moments where you want to blow the whistle and say, ‘Okay, let’s go inside.’ And I had some. I remember that Juan Mata also had that quality.”
Diogo Dalot believes his former teammate has the potential to become the best player in the world
Ferdinand revealed that United’s caretaker manager Michael Carrick used lyrical language when signing Martial. He said: “You know, Carrick told me when he first signed that Martial could win the Ballon d’Or.”
The Frenchman’s struggles led to a loan move to Sevilla, where he continued to struggle in front of goal. He left United in 2024 when his contract expired, joining Greek side AEK Athens, but stayed with him for just one year before moving to Mexican side Monterrey.
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