Michael Carrick firmly believed a failed Manchester United player could win the Ballon d'Or

According to Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick once believed that a former Manchester United teammate was fully capable of winning the Ballon d'Or, and that player was not Cristiano Ronaldo.

Michael Carrick once believed Martial could win the Ballon d'Or

Carrick played and later worked alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, whose first award came in 2008 while at Manchester United. However, the former English midfielder reportedly placed his faith in another star who could follow in Ronaldo’s footsteps to become the best player in the world.

This revelation was shared by Rio Ferdinand on the program Rio Ferdinand Presents, where he interviewed Diogo Dalot — a defender currently playing for Manchester United who once worked under Carrick.

During the conversation, Dalot was asked to pick the best five players he had ever played with. A big surprise came when the Portuguese defender included Anthony Martial — the player who scored 90 goals in 317 appearances for the Red Devils.

Dalot explained that although Martial lacked consistency in his career, purely in terms of potential, he could definitely become the best player in the world if he maintained focus and determination at the highest level.

“I will say this because I combine what he shows in matches and also in training,” Dalot shared. “I have faced him many times in training sessions and he is really tough to play against. Martial is the kind of player who, if he had more consistency — because sometimes he ‘loses connection’ with the game — then if he wanted to, he could easily become the best player in the world.”

This statement prompted Ferdinand to respond: “Carrick told me when Martial had just signed that he could win the Ballon d'Or.”

Dalot said he fully believed this because Martial created moments in training that made teammates “stop the session” due to how impressive they were.

Martial joined Manchester United from Monaco in 2015 with an initial transfer fee of £36 million as a teenager and immediately scored on his debut against Liverpool. He played alongside Carrick for a period before the former England midfielder retired in 2018 and joined Jose Mourinho’s coaching staff.

The Ballon d'Or clause was never triggered

Martial’s transfer deal to Old Trafford included several additional clauses that could raise the total value by £21.6 million. Notably, one clause related to the Ballon d'Or stated that Manchester United would owe Monaco an extra £8–10 million if Martial won the award.

Although he won the Golden Boy award and had an impressive 2019/20 season with 23 goals in 48 games (his best career season), Martial was never nominated for the Ballon d'Or. Therefore, Manchester United never had to pay the additional fee.

After years of decline due to injuries and inconsistent form, Martial left Manchester United on a free transfer in 2024, although many believe he should have departed earlier.

The French forward then moved to AEK Athens in Greece before joining Monterrey CF in Mexico. However, at his new club, he has scored only one goal in 19 appearances, marking a disappointing end for a player once expected to reach the pinnacle of world football.