After playing youth football forLes Ulis, Martial began his professional career atLyon, before transferring toMonaco in 2013 for a fee of €6 million. He was a member of Monaco's squad for two seasons before signing for Premier League sideManchester United in 2015 for an initial fee of £36 million and £21.6 million in potential bonus payments;[5] making it the highest fee paid for a teenager in football history at the time. He was the recipient of the 2015Golden Boy Award for the best under-21 player in Europe.[6]
In his debut season with Manchester United, Martial won the2015–16 FA Cup and established himself as one of the most exciting prospects in the world.[7] His trajectory stalledthe following season, but he won more trophies under the guidance ofJose Mourinho.[8] Martial had his best ever goalscoring season in2019–20, netting 23 times in all competitions, and he was awarded Manchester United Players' Player of the Year. However, his form declined in seasons after that and in January 2022, Martial was loaned out to Spanish clubSevilla until the end of the 2021–22 season. He left the club in 2024 and then signed for AEK Athens.
A youth international for France fromunder-16 tounder-21 level, Martial made his senior debut in 2015. He was named in their squad forUEFA Euro 2016, appearing in thefinal as France were defeated by Portugal.
Club career
Early career and Lyon
Born inMassy, Essonne, Martial spent his youth years withParis-basedLes Ulis from 2001,[9] the same team who produced French internationalsThierry Henry andPatrice Evra.[10] Evra closely monitored the progress of Martial, and allowed him to play in one of his pairs of football boots at the age of 12.[10] At the same age, Martial trialled atManchester City.[10]
At just 14 years old, in 2009, he was spotted by scouts from theLyon academy and joined it the same year. During his second season in the Under-17 team, he distinguished himself by scoring 32 goals in 21 games, which resulted in a call-up to theFrance national under-17 football team for the2012 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Slovenia.
On 30 June 2013,Monaco announced they had signed Martial to a three-year contract for a fee of €5 million plus bonuses.[13][14] On 24 November, he made his first league appearance for the club at the age of 17, replacingRadamel Falcao after 63 minutes and playing a part inMounir Obbadi's goal which gave victory away toNantes.[15] He scored his first goal for the principality club on his first start, a 2–0 win overRennes at theStade Louis II six days later.[16] His campaign was disrupted by a sprained ankle againstValenciennes in December.[17] On 27 January 2014, he extended his contract until June 2018.[17]
In his second season at Monaco, Martial scored nine goals in 36 Ligue 1 games, starting on 5 October 2014 when as a substitute forLucas Ocampos, he gained a 1–1 draw at reigning championsParis Saint-Germain with a last-minute strike from close range.[18] He scored twice against a 10-manBastia on 13 March 2015 in a 3–0 home victory.[19] On 26 June, he further extended his link with the team until 2019.[20]
On 4 August 2015, Martial scored his first goal in European competition, in a 4–0 home win overYoung Boys in the third qualifying round of theUEFA Champions League; Monaco advanced 7–1 on aggregate.[21]
Manchester United
Transfer
On 1 September 2015, Martial completed a move toManchester United for £36 million, on a four-year contract with the option of another year.[22] This was the highest transfer fee paid for a teenager, breaking the previous record of £27 million that United had paid forLuke Shaw a year earlier, and that Paris Saint-Germain had paid forMarquinhos in 2013.[23] United paid £36 million up front for Martial, but his contract contained three bonus clauses worth £7.2 million each, taking the potential fee to £57.6 million. £44.7 million ended up being the total fee, due to only one of the three bonus clauses being met.[24] The clauses each related to certain accomplishments being achieved in the four years after the transfer, including if Martial scored 25 goals during that span, racked up 25 caps forFrance or won theBallon d'Or before June 2019.[25] ManagerLouis van Gaal called Martial an acquisition for United's future rather than for immediate use, and called the transfer fee "ridiculous", alleging that Manchester United regularly had to pay £10 million more than other teams.[26]
Upon signing, Martial said: "I'm so excited to join United, I have always wanted to play in the Premier League and to join the biggest club in the world is what every young footballer dreams of." Van Gaal stated, "Anthony is a naturally talented, young, multi-functional forward with great potential. I believe this is the club for him to continue his development." The fee was reportedly met with astonishment by the French public.[23]
Martial made his debut in theNorth-West Derby atOld Trafford on 12 September as a 65th-minute substitute forJuan Mata, and scored the final goal of a 3–1 win overLiverpool.[27] Van Gaal called it a "marvellous goal".[28] Eight days later, in his first Premier League start, he scored twice in an away win, 3–2 atSouthampton.[29] On 23 September, again as a replacement for Mata, Martial scored his fourth goal in four games for his new club, concluding a 3–0 win overIpswich Town in the third round of theLeague Cup.[30] Martial's early impact was praised by former United managerSir Alex Ferguson, who stated that "he can do anything".[31]
Martial won his first individual honour at United as he picked up the 'PFA Fan's Player of the Month' for September, in which he notched up three goals from two matches.[32] A few days later, he gained his second trophy at United, as his strike against Liverpool earned him the club's 'Goal of the Month' for September.[33] He was also namedPremier League Player of the Month for September, the third-youngest player to receive the award afterMicah Richards andMichael Owen.[34][35]
On 21 October, in a Champions Leaguegroup stage match away toCSKA Moscow, Martial gave away a penalty – whichDavid de Gea saved fromRoman Eremenko – and later equalised to confirm a 1–1 draw.[36] He was awarded theGolden Boy as Europe's best under-21 player on 19 December.[37]
Martial was key in a 2–1 win againstEverton in theFA Cup semi-final atWembley on 23 April 2016: he assisted the first goal byMarouane Fellaini and scored an added-time winner.[38] He finished the season as the club's top scorer in both the league and overall competitions with 11 goals and 17 goals respectively.
2016–17 season
Martial playing for Manchester United in 2017
Martial retained his starting berth at Manchester United under new managerJosé Mourinho, starting ahead of in-form teammateMarcus Rashford on the left wing for the opening few games of the season.[39] The forward, however, lost his place in the starting line-up after several underwhelming performances, with the club tentatively attributing Martial's difficulties to ongoing problems in his personal life.[40] Nevertheless, on 2 October 2016, Martial came off the bench at Old Trafford to score United's only goal—his first of the new season—againstStoke City, a game that ended in a 1–1 draw.[41]
On 30 November 2016, Martial was recalled to the side to face West Ham in the EFL Cup after receiving warnings about his starting spot in previous weeks from manager José Mourinho,[42] he responded by scoring two goals in a 4–1 win to send United into the semi-final of the competition.[43] Being in and out of the team for a couple of months, Martial was rumoured to leave Manchester United in the summer, but on 6 February he made it clear on his Twitter account, tweeting: "the paper's are wrong don't listen to them".[44] Martial returned to the starting line-up againstWatford at Old Trafford on 11 February by providing an assist to Juan Mata and later scoring a goal for himself in the 60th minute, he was later declared the man of the match.[45][46] On 26 February, he was named in the starting XI that faced Southampton at Wembley for the2017 EFL Cup Final,[47] which United won 3–2.[48] The victory earned Martial his third piece of silverware for United.[49] In May, he won the first European trophy of his career, coming on as a substitute in the2017 UEFA Europa League Final.[50]
2017–18 season
After a successful spell for Manchester United towards the end of last season, winning the League Cup and Europa League, Martial started the season as a substitute for most matches. Despite this Martial managed to score from the bench in United's first two league matches againstWest Ham United andSwansea City, and again later againstEverton; with all three matches ending in a 4–0 win for United. Martial's first start of the season came on 20 September in a 4–1 win overBurton Albion in the League Cup in which he also scored. Martial repeated this a week later in the Champions League, scoring in a 4–1 win overCSKA Moscow. In October Martial scored United's only goal in their win overTottenham and again in November againstWatford andNewcastle United. In January, Martial scored again againstEverton away, scored againstStoke City and provide the winning goal againstBurnley. However following the January transfer season, Martial began to fall out of favour following the signing of Chilean forwardAlexis Sánchez on 22 January. A lack of game time saw Martial fail to produce another goal for the club all season.[51] Because of this, there was heavy speculation that Martial would leave Manchester United during the summer transfer season.[52][53][54]
2018–19 season
Martial made his first competitive appearance for Manchester United's 2018–19 season in their 3–2 loss toBrighton in the Premier League.[55] Through August and September, Martial made three other substitute appearance in the Premier League until the September's final game againstWest Ham United saw him make the starting eleven.[56] However, two weeks prior saw Martial start in Manchester United's Champions League opener and score his first goal of the season in a 3–0 win againstYoung Boys.[57] Martial's first league goal came in a 3–2 comeback againstNewcastle United where he also started.[58] After that match Martial started and scored in every Premier League game up to the November International Break, scoring againstBournemouth,[59]Everton,[60] two goals againstChelsea,[61] and a penalty goal in theManchester derby.[62] This spell of goal scoring saw Martial become one of seven players to have scored in five consecutive league games for Manchester United.[63] Martial also won Manchester United's October Player of the Month award.[64]
On 24 November, Martial started in United's goalless draw withCrystal Palace, playing the full 90 minutes.[65] This came after speculation that he would miss the game due to an injury picked up on international duty.[66][67] Martial also played the full 90 minutes againstChampions League opponentsYoung Boys, which United won 1–0, securing their place in the knockout stage.[68] After missing United's tie withSouthampton, Martial played in the club's home game againstArsenal in which he scored his eighth goal of the season with the match ending in a 2–2 draw.[69] On 17 December 2018, United triggered an option to extend Martial's contract that would keep him at the club until 2020.[70] On 22 December, under new managerOle Gunnar Solskjær, Martial scored his ninth of the season in a 5–1 victory overCardiff City.[71] On 25 January 2019, Martial scored Manchester United's third goal in a 3–1 win overArsenal in the FA Cup fourth round; it was his first goal of 2019 and his 10th of the season.[72]
On 31 January 2019, Martial signed a new five-year contract with Manchester United, keeping him at the club until summer 2024.[73] On 9 February, Martial assistedPaul Pogba's opener before scoring United's second goal in a 3–0 win overFulham.[74] On 10 March, Martial returned as a substitute againstArsenal after sustaining an injury againstPSG a month prior. Later that month he scored the second goal in a 2–1 win overWatford.[75]
2019–20 season
Martial began the2019–20 league season by starting and scoring Manchester United's second goal in a 4–0 victory over Chelsea atOld Trafford.[76] He also scored in United's second match, a 1–1 draw away againstWolverhampton Wanderers on 19 August 2019.[77] On his first start since returning from injury in August, Martial scored the winning penalty againstPartizan Belgrade in late October,[78] before scoring againstNorwich City in a 3–1 victory the following weekend.[79] On 24 June 2020, he scored his first senior hat-trick in a 3–0 home win againstSheffield United.[80] This was United's first Premier League hat-trick since 22 April 2013, whenRobin van Persie did so againstAston Villa en route of sealing the club'smost recent league title to date.[81]
2020–21 season
On 4 October 2020, Martial received the first red card of his career for hitting out atErik Lamela during United's 1–6 loss toTottenham Hotspur in thePremier League and was later banned for three domestic games.[82] In theUEFA Champions League group stage match againstRB Leipzig on 28 October, Martial scored his first goal of the season, slotting home United's fourth goal in a 5–0 win.[83] He scored his first league goal of the season on 17 December 2020 in a 3–2 away win against Sheffield United.[84] He scored two goals – the only one to do so – in United's Premier League record-equalling9–0 home win againstSouthampton on 2 February 2021.[85]
2021–22 season: Loan to Sevilla
Martial scored his first goal of the season on 2 October 2021, a first-half strike in a 1–1 draw againstEverton.[86]
On 25 January 2022, he joinedSevilla on loan until the end of the season.[87][88] He debuted on 5 February in a 0–0 draw away toOsasuna inLa Liga.[89] Six days later he registered his first assist for the club, crossing forRafa Mir to make it 2–0 in a home win overElche.[90][91]
Martial scored his first Sevilla goal on 17 February, the team's third in a 3–1UEFA Europa League play-off win overDinamo Zagreb at theRamón Sánchez Pizjuán.[92][93] His progress was interrupted by a muscle injury eight days later, forcing him off in the first half of a 1–1 draw atEspanyol.[94] He returned in March and featured in both legs of the Europa League round of 16 againstWest Ham United.[95][96]
In total, he made 12 appearances for Sevilla in all competitions, scoring once and recording one assist.[97][98][99]
2023–24 season
Martial played his last match for United on 9 December 2023 in a 3–0 loss toBournemouth.[100] On 27 May 2024, Martial announced onInstagram that he would leave the club after a nine-year stint at Old Trafford.[101]
AEK Athens
On 19 September 2024, Martial joinedSuper League Greece clubAEK Athens on a free transfer, signing a three-year deal through 2027 and taking the number 26 shirt.[102] He made his debut on 20 October 2024 as a 76th-minute substitute in a 1–1 league draw againstPAOK.[103]
Martial scored his first AEK goal on 30 October 2024, deciding theGreek Cup round of 16 first leg with a 1–0 home win overAris.[104][105] He also scored the equaliser in the second leg on 3 December (1–1 away; AEK advanced 2–1 on aggregate).[106][107] His first league goal came five days later, an 87th-minute winner in a 2–1 away victory atOFI on 8 December 2024.[108] He subsequently scored the only goal in a 1–0 home win overPanetolikos on 25 January 2025,[109][110] and netted a brace in a 5–0 win againstPanserraikos on 9 February 2025.[111][112]
AEK reached the Greek Cup semi-finals, where they were eliminated 6–2 on aggregate byOlympiacos (0–6 away, 2–0 home).[113][114] Media reaction in Greece described his impact as decisive in tight matches—Sport24 called his winner against Panetolikos on 25 January "a moment of magic" that "unlocked" the game, while his brace in a 5–0 win over Panserraikos on 9 February was highlighted as one of his strongest displays for the club.[115][116] His momentum was checked by a muscle injury suffered in early March against Olympiacos, which forced him off before half-time.[117] He finished his first season with AEK on nine goals and two assists in 24 appearances in all competitions, with Greek outlets noting his role in keeping AEK in the title race through winter.[118][119]
Monterrey
On 12 September 2025, Martial joinedLiga MX clubMonterrey, signing a two-year deal through 2027.[4]
On 26 August 2015, Martial was called up to the senior France squad for the first time, forfriendlies againstPortugal andSerbia in the following month.[125] He made his debut in the former on 4 September atLisbon'sEstádio José Alvalade, replacingKarim Benzema for the final 16 minutes of a 1–0 win.[126] On 11 October, Martial made his first start forLes Bleus in a 2–1 win againstDenmark atParken Stadium, Copenhagen, and assisted the opening goal byOlivier Giroud.[127]
Due to Martial's performances in the 2015–16 season with Manchester United, he earned a spot on France's 23-man squad forEuro 2016, in which France were the tournament runners up. On 17 May 2018, Martial was named on the standby list for the 23-manFrench squad for the2018 World Cup in Russia.[128] However, he did not make the final squad for the tournament which saw France as champions for the second time.
Style of play
Aziz Benaaddane, one of Martial's coaches at Les Ulis, told theBBC Sport in 2015 that as a six-year-old, Martial was able to run in a straight line to the goal: "We've got 400 youngsters playing for us but a talent like that arrives only once every five or six years. We felt it, we saw the potential and we pushed him".[10] Mahamadou Niakite, another coach, added that Martial was put in higher age groups, as at the age of six he had the ability of most eight-year-olds, and at around the age of 12–13 he was focused on becoming a professional.[10]
According to journalistPhilippe Auclair, Martial plays in a style similar to former French internationalThierry Henry, with speed and technical ability both in wide positions and up front.[23] Henry himself praised Martial after his goalscoring debut,[129] while Martial himself refuted the comparison, saying: "I don't think we have the same type of game – he was very quick whereas I rely more on power and technique. But it's always good to be compared to great players".[130]
In the aftermath of France's 2–1 win over Denmark in October 2015, Fenerbahçe defenderSimon Kjær was reportedly stunned after playing against him to learn that Martial was just 19. He told French newspaperL'Équipe: "He's really good for 19. I didn't know him when I was in France. He's 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."[131]
Although he has been used as acentre-forward, he primarily plays on theleft flank.[132] Martial, for his part, has said that he prefers to play up front, but that "if the coach puts me on the wing then that means it is better for the team and for me that is the most important thing."[133]
In 2019, Christopher Simpson ofBleacher Report noted that Martial "...has pace to burn and thedribbling skills to accompany it, making him very difficult to defend against, and he's a composed finisher in front of goal too."[132]
Personal life
Martial is ofGuadeloupean descent.[134] His older brother,Johan, is a professionaldefender, who represented France up tounder-20 level. He has another older brother, Dorian, who was the captain of the senior team at Les Ulis.[10] His cousin,Alexis, is also a professional footballer.[135] The Martial family placed high emphasis on the education of their children.[10] His youth coaches describe him as a shy and quiet person.[10] Martial is aRoman Catholic.[136][137]
Martial was previously married to Samantha Jacquelinet, with whom he has a daughter, Peyton.[138] In July 2018, his then partner, former reality television contestant Mélanie Da Cruz, gave birth to their son, Swan; Martial leftManchester United's pre-season tour to attend the birth.[139][140][141] Martial and Da Cruz married in 2019, before announcing their separation in March 2022.[142] He announced the birth of his third child, a son, on 28 June 2025 viaInstagram.[143]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 8 November 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
^"Lyon boit la tasse à Ajaccio" [Lyon frink from the cup at Ajaccio] (in French). France Info. 3 February 2013.Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved31 August 2015.
^McNulty, Phil (12 September 2015)."Man Utd 3–1 Liverpool". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation).Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved12 September 2015.
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