Martial fined £180,000 and publicly criticised by Mourinho for skipping pre-season to attend child's birth

Anthony Martial was handed a £180,000 fine — equivalent to two weeks’ wages — and publicly criticised by then-Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho after departing the club’s 2018 pre-season tour of the United States to be present for the birth of his second child.

Martial left the tour and remained in France with his family beyond the agreed return date, missing a 4-1 friendly defeat to Liverpool in Chicago. He was expected back for subsequent fixtures against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich but chose to extend his absence to support his partner during her recovery.

Speaking after the Liverpool defeat, Mourinho made little effort to conceal his frustration. “He has the baby and after the baby is born — beautiful baby, full of health, thank god — he should be here and he is not here,” the Portuguese manager said. “Now we have Real Madrid, and after that we have Bayern Munich, and that is our start. I just hope the boys on deserved holidays take care of themselves a little bit and somebody wants to do what Rashford and Jones do, which is to be back a little bit earlier to try and help the team, because for the beginning of the season we are going to be in trouble.”

Martial responded swiftly and without apology. “My little girl is fine; for the mum it was harder, but thank god she is better now,” he wrote on social media. “Sorry, but my family will always come first. Back tomorrow in Manchester.”

The episode was not an isolated flashpoint between the two. Martial later revealed in a 2022 interview with France Football that tensions had begun the moment Mourinho arrived at Old Trafford in 2016, when the manager stripped him of the No. 9 shirt and handed it to new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic — a decision that clearly left a lasting mark on the Frenchman.

Martial, now 30, eventually left United on a free transfer in 2024 and currently plays for Monterrey in Mexico.