De Zerbi Stands Firm on Mudryk's Ballon d'Or Potential

Roberto De Zerbi is not backing away from one of the boldest predictions of his career. If anything, he is leaning into it.

Reunited with Mykhailo Mudryk at Tottenham, the Italian has again nailed his colours to the mast: he still believes the Ukrainian winger has the potential to win the Ballon d'Or.

Mudryk completed a dramatic deadline-day move to Spurs, crossing the London divide from Chelsea on a season-long loan. Tottenham have secured an option to buy for £75 million next summer if he finally delivers on the promise that once made him one of the most coveted young forwards in Europe.

For De Zerbi, this is not a fresh discovery. It is a continuation.

Back under familiar guidance

The pair know each other well from their time at Shakhtar Donetsk, where Mudryk burst onto the scene and where De Zerbi first saw a player he felt could climb to the very top of the game.

He first floated the Ballon d'Or prediction during his Brighton days, just before Mudryk’s blockbuster switch to Chelsea in January 2023. The winger arrived at Stamford Bridge for around €100m, carrying huge expectation and a heavy price tag he has yet to justify.

Despite the stuttering spell in England, De Zerbi’s conviction has not wavered.

"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."

The message is blunt: the talent is still there. Whether the career matches it is now down to Mudryk.

A career stalled, a challenge set

Mudryk’s time at Chelsea never truly caught fire. Flashes of speed and skill, but no sustained impact to match that nine-figure fee. On top of that, his development has been interrupted by a lengthy spell away from elite football after 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."

The coach then pointed straight at the benchmark Chelsea themselves set.

"He has to leave this season in a right way, not too [much] pressure, 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."

That fee now hangs over him like a permanent reminder. At Spurs, the task is to turn it from a burden into a reference point for what he can still become.

Spurs minutes first, Ballon d'Or dreams later

For now, the conversation is less about golden balls and more about basic match rhythm. Mudryk has not played regularly at the highest level for some time. De Zerbi is honest about where his new signing stands physically.

The Tottenham head coach does not yet know when Mudryk will be ready to start a Premier League game. What he does know is that the winger is close to stepping back onto the pitch.

De Zerbi confirmed Mudryk should be able to feature for between 15 and 30 minutes in Saturday’s clash with Nottingham Forest, offering Spurs fans an early glimpse of a player they hope is far more than a reclamation project.

If the old Shakhtar version of Mudryk resurfaces under his former mentor, Tottenham’s £75m option suddenly looks less like a gamble and more like an opportunity.

For Mudryk, this season is stripped back to its essence: forget the fee, forget the noise, prove De Zerbi right.