Mason Greenwood propelled himself into the light of Didier Drogba at the weekend as he matched the Chelsea legend’s goalscoring tally in his season with Marseille. The former Manchester United forward bagged his 19th goal of the season in Ligue 1 to match the figure Drogba reached more than 20 years ago with Les Minots.
But the 23-year-old faces having to hit the mark again after seeing his goal chalked off days following Marseille’s 4-1 win over Brest. Greenwood scored a single goal in the victory. Tuesday saw the Ligue de Football Professionnel rule that Greenwood’s effort would instead be awarded as an own goal.
The LFP have judged that Brest defender Brendan Chardonnet’s deflection were enough to remove some credit from Marseille’s forward. That leave’s Greenwood a goal shy of matching Drogba’s tally with three games remaining.
“Great team performance from start to finish, important win and always a special feeling to score at the Velodrome,” Greenwood had reflected following the game.
The striker joined Marseille last summer for a fee of £26.7m, after Manchester United decided the academy product had no future at the club. That decision came despite charges of attempted rape, engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm being dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service in February 2023.
Greenwood hit the ground running in France as he netted five times in his first three games. But despite a healthy goal tally it has not been an entirely smooth adjustment to life in Ligue 1.
The forward was dropped by Roberto De Zerbi earlier in the season, saw reports of a bust-up with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and has received criticism from fans. Supporters unfurled a banner that told him to ‘get a move on’ against Montpellier.
The 45-year-old Marseille boss offered some praise to the forward after his outing against Brest, though caveated that it was an outlying performance. Speaking ahead of late-season training camp in Italy, De Zerbi said: “Italy? Tuesday. We’re going to work, be together.
“It’s not a punishment. The players are happy… have you ever seen Mason Greenwood work like today? It was the first time.
“You have to give the players credit. Sometimes you lose points because of bad attitudes, but not because they’re not good guys.”
De Zerbi has previously offered a harsher outlook: “I expect more from him,” he said.
“He has to do more, because what he is currently showing is not enough. If he wants to achieve his ambition of becoming a champion, he has to be more consistent, sacrifice more and be more determined.”
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