Rewind to five years ago, when Mason · Greenwood signed a six-year contract with Manchester United, smiling and posing with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in a blue polo shirt. It was October 2019, and Aoki, who joined Manchester United at the age of six, seemed to have a bright future. However, when Marseille officially announced the signing of Mason Greenwood for 31.6 million euros on Thursday, a large number of fans left in anger and took to social media to denounce their club as immoral and disgusting.

Last week, the mayor of Marseille urged the club not to get involved in Aoki, saying: "I don't want my club to be disgraced." Unmoved, Marseille still signed the 22-year-old England striker and gave him the number 10 shirt. Some fans were at the airport to welcome United's talent, but just as many were furious: "I've never been so ashamed to support this club as I am now. I felt sick to see this guy wearing our jersey, and I felt sick to see him being defended and even supported by some people."

In 2019, the boss praised Greenwood's potential as the club's most talented goalscorer. In March of that year, the 17-year-old came off the bench in a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal, setting the team's record for the second-youngest appearance in the Premier League, behind Angel · Gomez. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer vowed that "we believe he is important to Manchester United and it is good for us to renew his contract now, and for this kid, knowing that we believe in him and his future will be great here."

Solskjaer's prophecy has clearly fallen short and now Greenwood's future belongs to Marseille and will need to prove himself again in the midst of controversy. So, how did his career deviate from the normal track? In fact, Aoki's problems did not occur suddenly, but were the result of the accumulation of multiple crossings without being properly corrected.

He has had highs at Manchester United, such as scoring 17 goals in a single season for the first team, but there have been just as many lows, including doubts about his professionalism, breaches of team rules in Iceland during his time with the England national team, bans, lengthy legal battles, sponsorship waivers. Manchester United wanted to re-integrate him into the team, but the attitude changed 180 degrees due to external opposition. What Marseille are going through now is why Sir Jim · Ratcliffe is reluctant to let Aoki stay, and the rebuilt Red Devils want to develop quietly.

United are well aware that Mason Greenwood has talent, but they also know that while he has been good on the pitch, he is not restful off the pitch. There have been repeated reports of him being late for training, partying late at night during the lockdown, and smoking "laughing gas".

In September 2020, Greenwood, who was selected for England for the first time, was eventually kicked out of the England squad after taking the two girls back to his hotel room after a match with Manchester City's Phil · Foden in Iceland. Afterwards, Aoki publicly apologized, saying that he would learn from it. Deep down, however, the United genius was unimpressed and later turned down a call-up to the England squad.

In 2021, Southgate and the FA's technical director met with representatives of the Mason Greenwood family and Manchester United to reactivate him but would not commit to a position. In the end, the two sides parted unhappily, and Suo Shuai said that he would not choose Aoki, and the official reason was that all parties thought it was best to do so. But in reality, the FA has an awkward relationship with Aoki's camp, especially his father Andrew. According to sources, this is because they are unhappy that Aoki cannot start for England.

On United's side, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, another boss has publicly defended Greenwood, claiming that he is never late for training, has a good family, is obedient, and says that criticism of Aoki is incomprehensible. However, in January 2022, a scene that could not be mediated happened. Greenwood's girlfriend, Harriet · Robson, posted photos and audio on social media showing herself covered in blood and multiple bruises. Aoki was then arrested by Greater Manchester Police. Greenwood faced multiple criminal charges, which were later dropped because he settled with his girlfriend.

Greenwood was suspended by Manchester United, he hid in his £2 million mansion in Bowdoin, Cheshire, and Nike terminated his sponsorship deal, costing him millions of dollars. United also removed Greenwood's merchandise from the official website, with angry fans returning shirts with his name to the big box at Old Trafford. Teammates Cristiano Ronaldo, David De Gea, Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford also unfollowed Aoki's social media accounts. The club's official partner said it refused to involve him in the promotion.

After three nights in a prison cell, the £75,000-a-week Manchester United striker was released on bail, installed CCTV to bolster security in his home and hired two private guards to patrol his home. Within United, Ralph · Rangnick, who were interim managers at the time, and John · Murtaugh, the director of football, described it as a catastrophic situation and held crisis talks about its possible impact on the team.

In October 2022, Greenwood was arrested again, this time on suspicion of violating bail conditions by engaging with victims. In fact, this contact played a key role in his later innocence, as he managed to convince his girlfriend to get back together with him.

United have not opted to sack Mason Greenwood as he has not yet been convicted and would be liable for compensation if he is released. As a result, the club continued to pay him £75,000 per week. The girlfriend withdrew from being a witness against Aoki, forcing the Crown Prosecutions Service to drop the charges because they knew they would not succeed in the conviction.

However, being legally innocent does not mean that a person has not done something wrong. In the "court" of public opinion, Aoki continues to be attacked. Under public pressure, United launched an internal investigation. New head coach Ten Hag says it is not up to Mason Greenwood to return to the first team. There is information that club officials spoke to the women's team to find out what they think. Manchester United felt a return was the best option, but when the news was made public, there was an uproar. As a result, Manchester United changed their minds and announced that Aoki would never be hired.

Greenwood, who had become a father at the time, denied the charges but admitted that he had made mistakes. "I know people judge me for what I see on social media, and people think the worst. I grew up knowing that violence or abuse in any relationship was wrong, and I didn't do what I was accused of. However, I made mistakes in my relationship and I was responsible for those things on social media."

Getafe is a good starting point for Greenwood to try to get back on track, as it is almost the least talked about club in La Liga. The Getafe people are desperate to be in the spotlight, even in a controversial way. As a result, 4,000 fans were present at Greenwood's unveiling ceremony.

In Getafe, his controversy at Manchester United was forbidden to be discussed. In a week, the club sold more number 12 shirts with Greenwood's name on them than any player in history. Aoki and his family were warmly welcomed by the Getafe people, and they even had dinner with the Getafe Club president at an upscale steakhouse, with an interpreter at their service 24 hours a day. In Getafe, on the outskirts of Madrid, Greenwood is a big hit. He was named Player of the Year with 10 goals and six assists, attracting interest from Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Lazio and Marseille.

But unlike the move to Getafe, which didn't cause much commotion in Spain, Aoki's move to Marseille made huge waves. The mayor of Marseille, Benoit · Payan, was blunt: this is unacceptable behavior. Fan groups agreed, with social media flooding with messages saying "Greenwood is not welcome". "The management seems to have decided to do whatever it takes to achieve anything, to ignore the good things that the club has done in the past in the city," said the Marseille chat room OM Forum.

Greenwood, who turns 23 in October, has a long way to go in his career, and he can slowly try to get back into the game with hard work. In 17 years, with so much hope and anticipation, his path could have been so different. There are many people to blame, but the first of them is Aoki himself.

His story is a wake-up call to many young people, including Manchester United's academy players, and to the club's management. Everyone makes mistakes, but some mistakes of principle are hard to forgive when they occur. You can say that you are a prodigal son after making a mistake, but others may also refuse to accept it. On a stage like Manchester United, a player like Aoki who has made mistakes and is too controversial is destined to continue to play.