Emmanuel LANGELLIER, Media365: published on Saturday November 23, 2024 at 1:51 p.m.
Transferred to Greece in September, Anthony Martial made his debut at AEK Athens, which leads the championship and is aiming for the double.
We lost sight of him a little. Even frankly. However, he is an international with 30 caps and 2 goals and is “only” 28 years old (29 years old on December 5). We mention Anthony Martial who no longer plays in the Premier League since he left Manchester United at the end of the 2023-24 financial year. Having left MU after 9 long years spent with the legendary British club (317 matches, 90 goals), the striker bounced back in a much less competitive championship. Waiting for the right challenge all summer, Martial finally chose to join the Greek championship. The player trained at Olympique Lyonnais committed to AEK Athens on September 18, signing a 2 and a half year contract (2.5 million euros per year). A somewhat surprising choice after having rejected the advances of the Turkish club Besiktas and Saudi Arabia, while OM and Lille thought about him for a time without going all the way.
Martial: “I feel very happy here”
Welcomed like a star with incredible fervor at the airport by the Greek supporters, Anthony Martial made his debut in his new yellow and black colors. “I feel very good, getting better and better. I’m training hard to get back in shape and help the team. I feel very happy here. Greek football continues to progress year after year. I was impressed with the facilities and the stadium. The atmosphere is incredible in every match, that’s a plus,” the Frenchman confided on his new team’s channel on October 30. Moments earlier, he had scored his first goal and helped AEK win against Aris Salonika in the Greek Cup (his only goal until then).
His coach, Matias Almeyda: “We all know his qualities”
After several months off due to adductor surgery, Martial, who had not played again since December 9, 2023 with the Manchester United tunic on his back (0-3 against Bournemouth), is comfortable in his new environment and its new formation which occupies the lead in the championship. With his French striker, often aligned on the left and starting during the last 3 matches, but also experienced elements like Erik Lamela, Domagoj Vida, Levi Garcia or Harold Moukoudi, the coach of AEK Athens, Matias Almeyda, is aiming for the double this season. “We all know his qualities. The club made a very big effort to bring him in,” noted the former Argentine midfielder about the Frenchman who has already “changed the face” of AEK according to Greek championship specialists.
