‘He needs to decide whether he wants to be a great player’ – Roberto De Zerbi on Marseille captain Leonardo Balerdi

Since coming back from injury, Olympique de Marseille captain Leonardo Balerdi (26) has featured twice on the bench – both coming in the last two fixtures against Monaco and Union Saint-Gilloise. Instead, Nayef Aguerd has been preferred even if the Moroccan has been suffering with Pubalgia in the last few weeks, and has not been at 100% fitness ahead of what will be a significant AFCON campaign with his native Atlas Lions over the winter. At a press conference attended by Get French Football News, Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi has said that Balerdi’s problem is not physical, and that he has benched the Argentine by choice in the Champions League and now Ligue 1. “Leo is fine physically, It annoys me to leave him on the bench because I love him a lot,” said De Zerbi after OM’s 1-0 win over Monaco at the Stade Vélodrome on Sunday evening. “And he knows why,” the Italian added. “He needs to go to another level. He needs to decide whether he wants to become a great player, and not just a player that has great potential – with and without the ball.”Speaking exclusively with Get French Football News last month, Balerdi admitted he is aware he could be dropped by De Zerbi despite being the captain of the club. “When there’s competition, it’s better. I love healthy competition. There are a lot of changes each match and yes, I can end up on the bench – and I know that.”The former Dortmund man also revealed his ambition to represent Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer. “My objective is to go to the World Cup. It would be a dream to win something with the national team. But I have to stay in the present – otherwise my head will explode with everything else happening.”GFFN | George Boxall– Reporting from Stade Vélodrome, Marseille