De Zerbi's Bold Ballon d'Or Prediction for Mudryk at Spurs
Roberto De Zerbi is not backing away from his most daring prediction. Not now, not after everything that has happened to Mykhailo Mudryk in England.
The Italian coach still believes the Ukrainian winger has the potential to win the Ballon d'Or – and he is prepared to stake his reputation on it as the pair reunite at Tottenham.
From €100m struggle to fresh start
Mudryk has arrived at Spurs on a season-long loan from Chelsea, crossing the London divide with his career at a crossroads. Tottenham hold an option to make the move permanent next summer for £75 million if he convinces them he is worth the gamble.
It is a huge fee for a player who has, so far, fallen well short of the €100m price tag Chelsea paid in January 2023.
Those struggles are not lost on De Zerbi. They make his conviction sound even stronger.
“We spent a very particular season together in Shakhtar,” De Zerbi said, as quoted by ESPN. “When the war started, we were together. And when I spoke about the Ballon d'Or, I was very clear. Maybe my English is not so good, but I was very clear because I was speaking about the potential of the player.
“The potential of the player can be the same and can respect the prediction or not.”
It was during his time at Brighton, just before Mudryk’s blockbuster switch to Chelsea, that De Zerbi first tipped him as a future Ballon d'Or winner. Since then, the winger’s trajectory has dipped: inconsistent form, a heavy price tag, and a lengthy absence from elite football following a suspension.
“Until now, he has had many problems,” De Zerbi admitted. “The last problem, the suspension for whatever was the problem, but the [outcome] is clear. And now his challenge is to respect all his qualities because he's a great player.”
A coach who still believes
This is not blind loyalty. De Zerbi keeps coming back to one word: potential.
“He has to leave this season in a right way, not too [much] pressure,” he said, “but it is the right moment for him to show [his ability] because if Chelsea paid €100m four years ago. I think they brought a lot of big, big players and to spend €100m, I think they thought very well about the qualities of Mudryk.”
For Spurs, that logic is simple and tempting. If Chelsea once judged Mudryk worth €100m, a £75m option starts to look less like a punt and more like an opportunity – provided De Zerbi can unlock the version of the player he once helped unleash at Shakhtar Donetsk.
It was there, under De Zerbi, that Mudryk exploded onto the European scene, a raw winger turned into one of the continent’s most exciting young talents. Now, the reunion comes with higher stakes and far less margin for error.
Short bursts before the real test
First, he has to play. Really play.
Mudryk’s recent lack of minutes and that suspension have left him short of match fitness. De Zerbi did not pretend otherwise and admitted he does not yet know when the 25-year-old will be ready to start a Premier League game for Tottenham.
But the wait for a first glimpse will not be long.
The Spurs boss confirmed Mudryk is ready for a cameo against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, saying the winger can feature for “between 15 and 30 minutes.” It will be a small window, but an important one: a first step in front of a new fanbase, under an old mentor, with his reputation on the line.
If he catches fire again, Tottenham’s £75m option suddenly becomes a serious conversation. If he doesn’t, the Ballon d'Or talk will sound like a prophecy that never came close.
For now, the mission is stripped back to basics: get him fit, get him confident, get his career moving in the right direction again.
The prediction has been made. The coach still believes. The question now is whether Mudryk can finally play like a man chasing the biggest individual prize in football.
