This is taken from the GFFN 100, our leading 150-page FREE publication ranking the best 100 players in France, see the full list and read every profile right here.
This year promised so much for Gerson, who was beginning to break free from the pressure that a €25m euro price tag brought him in his first few months at the Stade Velodrome. A year ago, he was a slightly derided player and fears that he would become the next in a long line of South American flops at Marseille weren’t entirely unfounded.
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Two goals in December had set the scene, but he wasted no time in showing his attacking process with a two goal display against Chauvigny in the Cup, though this was swiftly followed by commanding performances against Lille, Lens and Angers – either side of a World Cup qualifying call-up for Brazil. Playing in the midfield three alongside Mattéo Guendouzi and Valentin Rongier afforded him the tactical flexibility to explore and cultivate attacking opportunities further up the field.
March arguably saw the best of Gerson at Marseille, indeed in Europe – counting his previous sojourn in Rome, as he racked up the goals and assists – home and away, league and in Europe – as Marseille stubbornly battled for second place in Ligue 1, Champions League football and a shot at the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League title. A well-timed assist that saw OM edge past FC Basel was bookended by a fantastically well taken goal in the home win against PAOK.
He was instrumental, alongside a revived Dimitri Payet, in the nervy comeback win against Nantes in April. He notched twice away to Reims and a few days later at De Kuip against Feyenoord, important goals for Jorge Sampaoli’s men, before arguably his crowning glory in the stunning 4-0 win in the last game of the season against Strasbourg.
The summer had left the Olympien faithful purring, wanting more. Gerson had found his rightful place, despite an ever changing cast at the Velodrome. Quite quickly, however, it was all over. Amid tensions between the player and his new coach, Igor Tudor, he found his playing time reduced. He was left on the bench in key Champions League games in favour of players who were not involved in the slog to get to Europe’s top table. Eventually, a way out was discussed and is still being developed. While the first half of 2022 was full of certainty and praise for Gerson, the opposite has been true since the summer.
Mohammed Ali | GFFN