Mason Greenwood is beginning to feel the love again after a successful start to his Marseille career in France, but he will always be a poisonous figure in football.

Despite strong resistance from supporters and the mayor of the city, Manchester United paid an initial £19.8 million fee for Greenwood to join the French team this summer.  

Mayor Benoit Payan referred to the forward as a “disgrace” and stated that he did not want the club to be “shamed by someone who hits his wife.” He went on to say that the move was against “the values of [the city of] Marseille and OM [Olympique Marseille].” 

Supporters who started the #GreenwoodNotWelcome movement earlier in July also staged vehement protests.

But after he scored three goals in his opening two games, there are indications that fans are beginning to rally around the disgraced star, despite the less-than-ecstatic reception he received. 

L’Equipe, the leading sports daily in France, featured the football player on its main page following his heroics, along with the words ‘OM-Greenwoood L’amour sans condition,’ which translates to ‘Marseille-Greenwood, unconditional love’.

The main page reflects the increasing popularity of Greenwood within the club. 

His manager, Roberto de Zerbi, who was formerly of Brighton, has praised the footballer’s Marseille debut and promised to defend him “like a son.” His shirt is the most popular. 

The former Manchester United player is expected to make a comeback to international football as well. Steve McClaren’s Jamaica is reportedly considering inviting him. 

Fans have conjectured that Fabrizio Romano, the well-known social media personality who gained widespread notoriety for his extensive reporting on football moves, is the driving force behind Greenwood’s comeback to prominence. 

The Italian reporter has been tweeting about Greenwood since July, and most of the posts have focused on his performance rather than his transfer status. 

Due to this, some fans have claimed that Romano is aiding in the restoration of Greenwood’s reputation; however, Romano has consistently refuted any involvement in player PR. 

For the football player who had the entire world at his disposal just a few years ago, life in France is off to a good start. Greenwood, who made his England debut before turning 21, was regarded as one of the most promising young players to ever break through at Manchester United, having scored 35 goals for the team.

However, in January 2022, Greenwood’s career came to an abrupt end after a slew of graphic photos and audio recordings went viral online, leading to his arrest and accusation of attempted rape, assault, and coercive control.

The Crown Prosecution Service eventually dropped the criminal charges against the forward in February 2023, citing the witness withdrawal of key figures and “new material that came to light.” The forward had denied all of the charges.

Following an internal investigation, it was mutually decided that Greenwood would not play anymore for United when he was sent out on loan to Getafe last September.

Greenwood’s transfer to Spain drew a lot of criticism, but Getafe and its supporters welcomed him with open arms. On the field, he was a standout player, tallying 10 goals in 36 games for the La Liga team.

Since Greenwood had little chance of staying at Old Trafford for the rest of his career, this summer was all about making a permanent move out. 

In the end, the forward signed with Marseille for a £19.8 million initial cost. Given his talent, this was less than his market value, but his very contentious background made it feasible.

On the other hand, the move led to considerable rifts within Marseille.

Before this, Mail Sport also revealed that many saw the transfer as being contrary to OM’s core values. Supporters of Marseille have frequently believed that they are on the moral and ethical high ground. 

Much fuss was made when Qatar took over at PSG about how a Gulf State would never be allowed to take over OM. Rivals Lyon and Nice, meanwhile, have historically been despised due to claims of racism made by their supporters.

A large portion of Marseille’s supporters see themselves as the good guys. In 2022, there was opposition, at least on the internet, to Jordan Veretout’s temporary transfer from Aston Villa to Roma, a midfield player. 

Based on a rumor that the player had covered his father-in-law’s legal fees after the latter was found guilty of sexually abusing one of his daughters, Veretout’s sister-in-law, and was given a two-year jail sentence, OM fans created the hashtag #VeretoutNotWelcome on social media. The assertions that Veretout covered the legal costs were flatly refuted by the father-in-law’s attorney.  

Meanwhile, Marseille welcomed victims of domestic violence into its training facility in 2020, at the gloomy start of the Covid pandemic. Eighteen women lodged at the complex, which was shut down as a result of the league’s punishment. In less than a week, the club cleaned more than 40 rooms and provided free food, security, cleaning, and transportation.

There was an increase in domestic violence cases during lockdown, and Marseille’s home region of Bouches-du-Rhône received over 5,000 complaints in 2019. It appears to be a long way from where we are right now, and other people have also noted this.

Mail Sport recently detailed how club president Pablo Longoria, who is from Oviedo, which is near Getafe sports director Ruben Reyes’ hometown of Gijon, decided to sign Greenwood. 

Reyes spent two years as an Oviedo player, and the two are well known for their close bond. Longoria was certainly given extensive coverage of Greenwood’s time spent on the outskirts of the Spanish city, both on and off the pitch. 

However, Marseille pushed harder than anyone else to recruit Greenwood despite the objections and protests, which even resulted in some fans returning their season tickets. 

For some people, Longoria is a man who prioritizes his success on the football pitch over all else. For a player of Greenwood’s skill and promise, an initial sum less than £20 million seemed too alluring to turn down. 

Though there are still strong moral doubts about whether the Ligue 1 team was correct to sign Greenwood, he has already had an impact on the pitch, and one of his most ardent supporters in the media is former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi, who is currently in charge of Marseille.

De Zerbi remarked, “(Greenwood was) the first player I called (after taking the job),” in an interview with L’Equipe following his signing. 

“I’m the first to pin a player to the wall when he makes a mistake,” I said to him when he joined my team. 

“However, I will always stand up for him in the outside world, just as I would for my son.”

Greenwood has so far shown De Zerbi’s faith on the pitch by scoring twice in a 5-1 victory at Brest on his debut. De Zerbi is a former Manchester United player.

De Zerbi controversially said, “I am happy that he scored,” after that game. It will put an end to the disputes that arose around his arrival. 

During the match in Brittany, the 22-year-old was jeered, but the Italian manager also remarked, “Mason Greenwood is a player different from the others; he has an extraordinary level.”

After securing a point for Marseille with a late equalizer against Reims on Sunday night, Greenwood continued to impress De Zerbi, expressing his optimism about what the attacker could accomplish this season.

“He needs to keep training like he does,” De Zerbi stated. We’re all pleased with his performance on the pitch and his manners since joining. 

“He has a tonne of space for improvement.” 

The former United player’s entrance appears to have been well received by the French media as well; L’Equipe’s top page on Monday praised Greenwood’s contribution.

Given the forward’s history, many found the headline “OM-Greenwoood L’amour sans condition,” which translates to “Marseille-Greenwood, unconditional love,” to be particularly startling. The photo showed him celebrating his goal against Reims.

The publication added that since joining Marseille, Greenwood’s brilliant start has helped him “clear the clouds that had been hovering over his head.”

They said that teammates have been impressed by the former Man United forward’s antics, with one reportedly calling Greenwood “an alien.” 

According to sources, Greenwood’s shirt has also been the most popular in the club’s official store in recent weeks.

While acknowledging that Greenwood needs to be reliable, the publication also warned that if he doesn’t perform well on the pitch, Marseilles supporters may “wake up very quickly.”