Anthony Martial facts for kids
Martial playing for Manchester United in 2017
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Anthony Jordan Martial | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 5 December 1995 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Massy, France | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | AEK Athens | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 26 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2009 | CO Les Ulis | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Lyon | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Lyon B | 11 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Lyon | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Monaco B | 4 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Monaco | 49 | (11) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2024 | Manchester United | 209 | (63) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | → Sevilla (loan) | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | AEK Athens | 12 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | France U16 | 17 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | France U17 | 13 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | France U18 | 4 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | France U19 | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | France U21 | 12 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2021 | France | 30 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Anthony Jordan Martial (born on December 5, 1995) is a French professional footballer. He plays as a forward for the Greek club AEK Athens.
Martial started his football journey at Les Ulis as a young player. He then joined Lyon before moving to Monaco in 2013. In 2015, he made a big move to the English team Manchester United. This transfer was a record at the time for a teenage player. He even won the Golden Boy Award in 2015, which is given to the best young player in Europe.
During his time at Manchester United, Martial helped the team win the 2015–16 FA Cup. He was seen as one of the most promising young players in the world. In the 2019–20 season, he scored 23 goals, which was his best goal-scoring year. He was also voted Manchester United's Players' Player of the Year. In 2022, he went on loan to the Spanish club Sevilla. He left Manchester United in 2024 and joined AEK Athens.
Anthony Martial has also played for France at different youth levels. He made his debut for the senior French national team in 2015. He was part of the squad for UEFA Euro 2016, where France reached the final but lost to Portugal.
Club Career
Starting Out at Lyon
Anthony Martial was born in Massy, Essonne, France. He began playing football at Les Ulis in 2001. This is the same youth team where famous French players like Thierry Henry and Patrice Evra also started. Evra even helped Martial by letting him wear his football boots when Martial was only 12 years old!
When he was 14, in 2009, scouts from the Lyon academy noticed his talent. He joined their youth team. In his second year with the Under-17 team, he scored an amazing 32 goals in just 21 games. This led to him being called up to the France national under-17 football team.
Martial played his first professional game for Lyon on December 6, 2012. It was a Europa League match. He came on as a substitute in the last 10 minutes of a 2–0 win. His first game in the French league, Ligue 1, was on February 3, 2013.
Time at Monaco
On June 30, 2013, Monaco announced they had signed Martial. He was just 17 years old when he made his first league appearance for Monaco. He scored his first goal for the club in his very first start, helping them win 2–0. He signed a new contract with Monaco in January 2014.
In his second season at Monaco, Martial scored nine goals in 36 league games. He scored a late goal against Paris Saint-Germain to earn a 1–1 draw. He also scored twice in a 3–0 home win against Bastia. In June, he extended his contract with the team until 2019.
On August 4, 2015, Martial scored his first goal in a European competition. It was in a UEFA Champions League qualifying match, where Monaco won 4–0.
Joining Manchester United
Big Transfer to Manchester United
On September 1, 2015, Anthony Martial moved to Manchester United. The transfer fee was £36 million, which was a record for a teenager at the time. His contract could have gone up to £57.6 million with bonuses. However, only one of the bonus clauses was met, making the total fee £44.7 million.
Manchester United's manager, Louis van Gaal, said Martial was a player for the future. He also called the transfer fee "ridiculous," saying United often had to pay more than other teams. Martial was very excited to join United, saying he always wanted to play in the Premier League.
First Season: 2015–16
Martial made his first appearance for Manchester United on September 12. He came on as a substitute against Liverpool and scored a "marvellous goal" in a 3–1 win. Eight days later, in his first league start, he scored two goals against Southampton. He scored his fourth goal in four games in a League Cup match.
Former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson praised Martial's early impact. Martial won the 'PFA Fan's Player of the Month' award for September. He also won the club's 'Goal of the Month' for his goal against Liverpool. He was named Premier League Player of the Month for September, becoming one of the youngest players to win it.
On December 19, he won the Golden Boy award, given to Europe's best young player under 21. Martial was crucial in a 2–1 win against Everton in the FA Cup semi-final. He set up one goal and scored the winning goal in extra time. He finished the season as the club's top scorer with 17 goals.
Winning Trophies: 2016–17
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Martial kept his starting spot under new manager José Mourinho. However, he lost his place after some less impressive games. On October 2, 2016, he came off the bench to score United's only goal in a 1–1 draw against Stoke City.
On November 30, 2016, Martial scored two goals in a 4–1 win against West Ham in the League Cup. This helped United reach the semi-final. He later scored and assisted a goal against Watford, earning him the man of the match award. On February 26, he started in the 2017 EFL Cup Final against Southampton, which United won 3–2. This was his third trophy with United. In May, he won his first European trophy, the UEFA Europa League, coming on as a substitute in the final.
Later Years at United
Martial often started games as a substitute in the 2017–18 season. Despite this, he scored from the bench in United's first two league matches. He also scored in the League Cup and Champions League. However, after Alexis Sánchez joined in January, Martial played less and didn't score any more goals that season.
In the 2018–19 season, Martial scored his first goal in the Champions League against Young Boys. He then scored in five league games in a row, which is a rare achievement for a United player. He won Manchester United's Player of the Month award for October. In January 2019, he signed a new five-year contract with the club, keeping him there until 2024.
The 2019–20 season saw Martial score his first senior hat-trick in a 3–0 win against Sheffield United. This was the first Premier League hat-trick for a United player since 2013.
In the 2020–21 season, Martial received his first red card for hitting an opponent. He scored his first league goal of the season in December. He also scored two goals in United's record-equalling 9–0 win against Southampton.
Loan to Sevilla and Departure
On January 25, 2022, Martial was loaned to the Spanish club Sevilla until the end of the season. He scored one goal in 12 games for them. His last match for United was on December 9, 2023. On May 27, 2024, Martial announced he would leave Manchester United after nine years.
Joining AEK Athens
On September 18, 2024, Martial signed a three-year contract with the Greek team AEK Athens. He scored his first goal for the club on October 30, 2024, in a 1-0 win in the Greek Cup.
International Career
Youth Teams
Martial scored five goals as France qualified for the 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. He scored two goals against the Faroe Islands and a hat-trick against Northern Ireland. He also scored two more goals in the elite round to confirm qualification.
Martial played in all five games for France under-19 at the 2013 European Championship. France finished as runners-up in that tournament. He was chosen as one of the best players in the 'Team of the Tournament'.
Senior Team
On August 26, 2015, Martial was called up to the senior France squad for the first time. He made his debut on September 4, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 win against Portugal. On October 11, Martial started his first game for France and helped set up the opening goal in a 2–1 win against Denmark.
Because of his great performances in the 2015–16 season, Martial was picked for France's squad for Euro 2016. France reached the final but lost to Portugal. In 2018, he was on the standby list for the 2018 World Cup squad, but he didn't make the final team. France went on to win the World Cup that year.
Style of Play
One of Martial's youth coaches, Aziz Benaaddane, said that even at six years old, Martial could run straight to the goal. He said a talent like Martial only comes along once every five or six years. Another coach, Mahamadou Niakite, added that Martial was often placed in older age groups because he was so skilled.
Journalists have compared Martial's playing style to former French star Thierry Henry. He has great speed and technical ability. Henry himself praised Martial after his first goal for Manchester United. Martial, however, said he doesn't think they play exactly the same way. He feels he relies more on power and technique, while Henry was very quick.
A Danish defender, Simon Kjær, was surprised to learn Martial was only 19 after playing against him. He said Martial was "very, very hard to mark because he knows how to do a lot of things. Not only is he quick, but he's also technically good."
Martial can play as a centre-forward, but he mostly plays on the left side of the field. He has said he prefers to play up front, but he will play wherever the coach thinks is best for the team.
In 2019, a sports writer named Christopher Simpson noted that Martial "has pace to burn and the dribbling skills to go with it, making him very difficult to defend against. He's also a calm finisher when he's close to the goal."
Personal Life
Anthony Martial comes from a family with roots in Guadeloupe. His older brother, Johan, is also a professional defender. Johan has played for France's youth teams. Another older brother, Dorian, was the captain of the senior team at Les Ulis, where Anthony started. His cousin, Alexis, is also a professional footballer.
The Martial family believes strongly in education for their children. His youth coaches describe Anthony as a shy and quiet person. Martial is a Roman Catholic.
Honours
Manchester United
- FA Cup: 2015–16; runner-up: 2017–18, 2022–23
- EFL Cup: 2016–17
- FA Community Shield: 2016
- UEFA Europa League: 2016–17; runner-up: 2020–21
France U19
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship runner-up: 2013
France
- UEFA Nations League: 2020–21
- UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2016
Individual
- Golden Boy: 2015
- Premier League Player of the Month: September 2015
- PFA Fans' Premier League Player of the Month: September 2015
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2013
- Manchester United Goal of the Season: 2015–16 (vs. Liverpool, 12 September 2015)
- Manchester United Players' Player of the Year: 2019–20
See Also
In Spanish: Anthony Martial para niños
