Mason Greenwood, formerly of Manchester United and currently playing for Marseille, has officially requested to represent Jamaica in international football, as confirmed by Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham.
Bullingham stated that Greenwood has formally asked to switch his international allegiance. This decision means he will no longer be eligible to play for England, as FIFA rules permit switching national teams only once. Bullingham emphasized that this was a personal choice made by the player.
Greenwood, 23, is eligible to represent Jamaica through his father, who was born there. His single appearance for England was in 2020 when he was under 21, making him eligible for the switch under FIFA regulations. That match was against Iceland. His international career faced uncertainty following his arrest in January 2022 on suspicion of rape and assault.
Although he was later charged with attempted rape, coercive control, and assault, all charges were dropped in February 2023. Jamaica’s national team, now coached by former England manager Steve McClaren, is scheduled to play two matches next month. However, Marseille reportedly will not release Greenwood for friendly matches.
Greenwood is anticipated to debut for Jamaica in World Cup qualifiers in June. He aims to maintain his club form on the international stage. In his first season in France, he has impressively scored 15 league goals in 24 appearances.
Despite his scoring record, Marseille manager Roberto de Zerbi has noted one area for improvement in Greenwood’s game: his corner kick technique. De Zerbi commented that Greenwood is not a corner specialist and seems less focused when taking corners, which slightly annoys the manager.
Marcus Bellamy