Eric Bailly has joined Marseille on loan after five seasons at Old Trafford.
The 28-year-old Ivory Coast international player has penned his appreciation to the Red Devils as he departs to the Ligue 1 club on a season-long loan move. Bailly, on his Instagram page, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the club, teammates, and all United supporters.
He wrote: “A lot of children dream of becoming footballers and winning trophies. I’m eternally grateful to Manchester United for giving me the opportunity.
“For six years this club has been my home. The club has inspired me to keep striving to be the best player i can be. Lifting the Europa League, League cup and the FA community shield has been an honour.
“I want to thank the club for making one of my dreams come true, and most of all I want to thank the teammates with whom I shared a dressing room and all the professionals and people that we have met. We are United”
Meanwhile, Marseille are obligated to sign Bailly permanently in the 2023 summer for £6 million, subject to appearances and whether Marseille qualify for the Champions League; including the payment of Bailly’s wages during his time as a loan player with the French club.
Who is Eric Billy?
Eric Bertrand Bailly, born April 12, 1994, is an Ivorian professional footballer who formerly played for Premier League club Manchester United before joining Ligue 1 club Marseille this summer on a loan contract.
Bailly joined Manchester United on a four-year contract for £30m from Villarreal in 2016; being the first player signed by José Mourinho but struggled to hold down a first-team place for United.
He made his competitive debut for United on the 7th of August, 2016 in a 2–1 win against Leicester City at Wembley Stadium to win the FA Community Shield, and was named man of the match.
The Ivorian center-back was again named man of the match on his Premier League debut a week later in a 3–1 win at Bournemouth.
He was voted Manchester United’s Player of the Month for August 2016.
Apart from his ability to keep opponents at bay, Bailly is famous for his incredible blockings. One of his unconventional defending was against Young Boys as Manchester United fans compared the centre back to Spiderman. United supporters lavished praises on his ‘wild’ technique after obstructing three shots that could have entered United’s net, leading the match to a 1-1 draw.
Since he joined the Red Devils in 2016, Bailly appeared for the club 113 times in all competitions. He has won three trophies during his time at Old Trafford: the Carabao Cup, Europa League, and community shield.
Eric Bailly number of cards and suspension
Eric Bailly was once described as “brainless” for his violent conduct that got him off the pitch. The 28-year-old has had issues with discipline as he has a habit of picking up cheap yellow cards. He received 10 yellow cards and a red in the La Liga the last season before joining United from Villarreal, along with 1 yellow card in the Europa League and 2 in Copa del Rey.
During Manchester United’s match against Bournemouth on December 30, 2018, the Ivorian footballer was red-carded after he dangerously slid into Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser with a scissor motion in the 79th minute of the game.
Bailly missed the Europa League final after the Manchester United defender was sent off for punching Celta Vigo’s John Guidetti in Thursday night’s semi-final on the 24th of May, 2017.
He was involved in a brawl late in the game and pushed his hand into the side of Guidetti’s face before confronting Celta scorer Facundo Roncaglia. He was red-carded straight away and given a three-match suspension including the Europa League final against Ajax. He has received 37 yellow cards and 4 red cards in all competitions in his club career.
Bailly’s Injury
Eric Bailly, being a great defender, could have had many appearances for United but he suffered a string of injuries that cut him off the pitch. He did feature 24 times in his first campaign for United, but his career since has been ravaged by injuries.
In the 2019/20 season, he played one Premier League game in the entire campaign. Since his June 2016 move to the United, the Ivorian has had not less than 17 separate injuries that kept him out for varying periods.
Despite his injury, United fans still preferred him to other defenders in the club. According one United fan, Andrew Kamanga wrote on his Facebook page: “Even though he’s injury prone, he is still far better than Maguire.”
Inspite of his injury issues and offensive nature, Eric Bailly still remains one of the greatest centre-back in the world of football and his legacy at United will never be forgotten.
