Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford MBE (born 31 October 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team.

A Manchester United player from the age of seven, Rashford scored two goals on both his first-team debut against Midtjylland in the UEFA Europa League in February 2016 and his Premier League debut against Arsenal three days later. He also scored in his first Manchester derby, as well as on his EFL Cup and UEFA Champions League debuts. With United, Rashford has so far won the FA Cup, EFL Cup, FA Community Shield and Europa League.

Rashford scored on his England debut in May 2016, becoming the youngest English player to score in his first senior international match. He played at the UEFA Euro 2016 as the tournament’s youngest player, and also represented England at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Rashford also publicly campaigns on the issues of homelessness and child hunger in the United Kingdom, and has been praised for using his platform to be a political activist and philanthropist to drive societal change. For his efforts, he has received widespread praise and acclaim, and has been recognised for his efforts from institutions and organisations both in and out of sport.

Early life

Marcus Rashford was born on 31 October 1997. He was born in Manchester, Greater Manchester, and was raised in the Wythenshawe area of the city. He is of Kittitian descent, with his grandmother being born on the West Indies island of Saint Kitts. Rashford comes from a working class family; his mother is Melanie Maynard, a single parent who often had to work multiple jobs to feed their family, sometimes skipping meals herself to ensure Rashford and his siblings ate. He has four older siblings; two brothers, Dwaine Maynard and Dane Rashford, both of whom went on to represent him professionally, and two sisters, Chantelle and Claire. He is a cousin of fellow footballer Lois Maynard, who currently plays as a midfielder for Stockport County. Rashford attended the Ashton-on-Mersey School, a school where United have sent their academy players since 1998 and located close to their Carrington training ground; he studied for a Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) National Diploma in Sport.

Club career

Early career

Rashford began playing football for Fletcher Moss Rangers at the age of five, starting out as a goalkeeper, and cited former United goalkeeper Tim Howard as his goalkeeping idol. Fletcher Ross Rangers academy development officer Dave Horrocks recalls that Rashford was on a “different level” to other boys, playing a major role as the team won a tournament with 15 scouts from various clubs watching.

He spent a week training with Manchester City before he joined the academy system at Manchester United at the age of seven, amid interest from Everton and Liverpool. He credited his brothers with helping him decide to join United. Former United youth coach Paul McGuinness quickly saw Rashford’s potential due to his athleticism both on and off the ball, but during his early years at the club, he often had to miss training as he found it difficult to get to training due to his mother and brothers working, and eventually received assistance from youth coaches Dave Bushell, Eamon Mulvey, and Tony Whelan, who helped find drivers for Rashford to get to the training ground. When he was 11, he became the youngest ever player to be selected for the Manchester United Schoolboy Scholars scheme, usually reserved for players 12 and above. He was fastracked and began playing cage football with Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Ravel Morrison, helping to increase his skill level playing with players four years his senior.

In 2012, he was part of the Manchester United under-15 squad which finished second in the 23rd annual Marveld tournament. In 2014, The Guardian named him as Manchester United’s best prospect in the 2014 Next Generation, saying that his “total-football style gives him a fair chance of going all the way”. Rashford trained with United’s first team for the first time aged 16 under the management of David Moyes during the 2013–14 season, and described the training session as “priceless” to himself and other United academy players; he began training with the first team more regularly, and was deemed a “high flier” by coaches.

In 2015, United Under-19s manager Nicky Butt praised Rashford’s performances for the team in a group stage match of the UEFA Youth League. His inclusion in the team began following an injury to Demetri Mitchell, and he capitalised on his chance by scoring six goals in 11 games in the Under-18’s Premier League, as well as three goals in the Youth League. He was awarded the captaincy of the team by Butt, who hailed him as a leader. Rashford was named on the first-team bench for the first time on 21 November by Louis van Gaal for a Premier League match against Watford, which Manchester United won 2–1. He received the number 39 squad number, due to Van Gaal’s insistence that strikers wear a squad number containing a nine. The following week against Leicester City, he was again named on the bench, but was again unused in a 1–1 draw. In February 2016, Rashford was subject to a loan bid from EFL League One team Crewe Alexandra, but the temporary transfer was rejected by Reserves manager Warren Joyce. Former teammate Sean Goss described how Rashford impressed in first-team training sessions while the club was suffering an injury crisis, despite being one of the younger players called up to train.

2015–16 season: Debut

On 25 February 2016, Rashford was included in the 18-man squad for United’s UEFA Europa League round of 32, second leg tie against Danish club Midtjylland, owing to an injury crisis which saw 13 players injured. After Anthony Martial was injured in the warm-up, Rashford was chosen to start the game, and marked his first-team debut with two goals in the second half of a 5–1 win. Rashford’s goals made him Manchester United’s youngest ever scorer in European competition, beating a record previously held by George Best, and which was later broken by Mason Greenwood in the 2019–20 season. Rashford made his Premier League debut against Arsenal three days later; he again scored twice and provided the assist for the other goal in a 3–2 home victory against their rivals, making him the third youngest scorer for United in Premier League history after Federico Macheda and Danny Welbeck. Van Gaal hailed his performance as “fantastic” and better than his first match, but urged caution from the press not to harass and hype him, feeling he had the character to cope.

On 20 March, Rashford made history when he scored the only goal in the Manchester derby, his team’s first away league win over Manchester City since 2012; aged just 18 years and 141 days, he became the youngest ever scorer in the fixture in the Premier League era, overtaking Wayne Rooney’s record by almost one year. During the FA Cup sixth-round replay against West Ham United on 13 April, Rashford scored a fantastic curled goal in a 2–1 win to help United advance to the semi-final. Three days later, he scored the only goal of the game against Aston Villa, who were subsequently relegated for the first time since 1987. He later led the line in the FA Cup Final against Crystal Palace on 21 May, which ended in a 2–1 victory marking United’s 12th FA Cup win and Rashford’s first piece of silverware. He wrapped up the season with 8 goals in 18 appearances, despite only debuting in February, as well as winning the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year. On 30 May, Rashford signed a new contract with United worth £20,000 a week, which would keep him at the club until 2020, with an option to extend for a further year.

2016–17 season: European success

For the new season, marking his place as part of the senior squad, Rashford was given the number 19 by new manager José Mourinho. The signing of veteran striker Zlatan Ibrahimović meant he often had to settle for a place on the substitutes bench. Rashford scored his first goal of the season on 27 August 2016 against Hull City in tremendous fashion, scoring in the second minute of injury time after coming on for Juan Mata in the 71st minute. He scored thrice more the next month, on 18 September in a 3–1 league defeat to Watford; on 21 September in a 3–1 victory against Northampton Town in the EFL Cup third round; and in a 4–1 league win over Leicester City on 24 September. The following month he came runner-up to Portugal’s Renato Sanches in the Golden Boy award for best European player under the age of 21, on 24 October. As a player however he failed to score until 7 January 2017 when he scored a four-minute brace in the FA Cup against Jaap Stam’s Reading, which ended 4–0.

Rashford won his third trophy on 26 February in the EFL Cup Final, coming on as a 77th-minute substitute in the 3–2 victory over Southampton. He was an instrumental part of United’s 2–0 win over league leaders’ Chelsea on 16 April, scoring the first goal after seven minutes from Ander Herrera’s through ball. Rashford scored another key goal four days later against Anderlecht in the 107th minute of the Europa League quarter-final second leg in a 2–1 win (3–2 on aggregate), sending United into the next round. He started in the Europa League Final on 24 May against Dutch team Ajax, which Manchester United won 2–0 thus earning his fourth, and first European, trophy. Due to the signing of Ibrahimović, Rashford spent the majority of the season on the wing. He made the most appearances of any United player during the season, playing 53 times.

2017–18 season

Rashford made his first appearance of his second full senior season on 8 August 2017 against Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup as a 46th-minute substitute in a 2–1 defeat. He started in a 4–0 home win against West Ham United five days later on 13 August, providing the assist for Romelu Lukaku’s opening goal. Rashford scored his first goal of the season on 26 August, the opener in a 2–0 victory over Leicester, three minutes after coming on as a substitute. On 12 September, Rashford scored against Basel on his UEFA Champions League debut, the third in a 3–0 win, marking the sixth competition that he has scored in on his debut. He scored a brace against Burton Albion on 20 September in EFL Cup third round, as well as assisting the fourth goal in a 4–1 victory.

On 23 October, Rashford came third in the 2017 Golden Boy award behind winner Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé. By 28 October, Rashford had contributed to 12 goals in 16 games, with seven goals and five assists, with his most recent goal being against Huddersfield Town on 21 October and his most recent assist coming against Swansea City on 24 October. On 6 December, he put in a man of the match performance in a 2–1 victory against CSKA Moscow, scoring the winning goal to help United qualify for the knockout phase of the Champions League. In the January transfer window, the club signed Alexis Sánchez, threatening Rashford’s future in the team.

On 10 March 2018, Rashford scored both goals in a 2–1 win over rivals Liverpool on his first Premier League start of the year. Three days later, United were eliminated from the Champions League after a 2–1 defeat to Spanish side Sevilla, with Rashford producing the assist for United’s goal. Mourinho was criticised for playing Rashford out of position on the right wing, where he was unable to play with any “spontaneity and freedom”. Rashford scored in United’s last game of the season on 13 May, a 1–0 victory over Watford at Old Trafford. At the conclusion of the season, Mourinho rejected the possibility of Rashford leaving on loan, pointing out Rashford had been selected for almost every match of the season.

2018–19 season

Prior to the 2018–19 season, Rashford was given the squad number 10 following the release of Ibrahimović, the club’s previous number 10. The shirt had also previously been worn in the Premier League by Teddy Sheringham, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Wayne Rooney, and he was the third academy graduate to wear it after Mark Hughes and David Beckham. On 2 September, Rashford was sent off in a 2–0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor after clashing heads with Phil Bardsley, having only been on the pitch for 10 minutes; Mourinho labelled him “naïve”, and put it down to inexperience. On 11 September, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher opined that Rashford would have to leave United to reach his potential, having not started a game in the season at that point. Mourinho defended his use of Rashford in the team, suggesting that other clubs did not give youth players the same game time Rashford had recorded in the prior two seasons; he started his first game and subsequently scored his first goal of the season on 29 September in a 3–1 loss to West Ham United. On 3 November, he scored again, providing a winning goal in the second minute of stoppage time in a 2–1 win over Bournemouth.

On 1 December, Rashford provided both assists in United’s 2–2 draw with Southampton, with the goals coming from Lukaku and Herrera. The following Saturday against Fulham, he provided two assists for Ashley Young and Juan Mata before scoring the final goal in a 4–1 victory. On 12 December, Rashford came on as substitute for midfielder Fred and scored a header in the 87th minute in a 2–1 loss to Spanish team Valencia in the final group stage match of the Champions League. On 22 December, Rashford scored in the third minute of Manchester United’s first match under new interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær, in which United beat Cardiff City 5–1. On 30 December, Rashford again scored against Bournemouth in his final game of 2018, also assisting Paul Pogba’s first goal in United’s 4–1 victory. Solskjær praised Rashford’s performances during the beginning of his reign, describing him as “different class”, and said he thought Rashford had the chance to become one of the best strikers in the world. During United’s first match of 2019 on 2 January, Rashford assisted the Red Devils‘ first goal from a free kick and scored the second in a 2–0 win over Newcastle United at St James’ Park. Following this series of performances, pundit Gary Neville praised Rashford for beginning to play beyond just his potential, establishing himself as a “devastating” forward player.

On 13 January, Rashford scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium; this marked the first time he had scored in three successive league games in his career, the third youngest to achieve this for United behind only Rooney and Ronaldo. The following week, he made his 150th appearance for the club in a 2–1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion, scoring a solo goal to become the youngest player in United’s history to score in four successive league games, and the fourth youngest to reach 150 games, behind Norman Whiteside, George Best, and Ryan Giggs. On 2 February, Rashford was announced as Manchester United’s Player of the Month for January 2019, as well as winning United’s goal of the month for his strike against Tottenham. A day later, he made his 100th league appearance for the club and scored the only goal in a 1–0 away victory over Leicester City. In doing so, he became the second-youngest player after Giggs to reach the milestone for the club. His impressive performance in January earned him his first Premier League Player of the Month title, becoming the first United player since Ibrahimović in December 2016 to win the award.

On 6 March, Rashford scored from his first competitive penalty for the club, sealing a 3–1 win in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain to send the club through to the quarter-final on the away goals rule; he also contributed to Lukaku’s equaliser, who scored off the rebound from Rashford’s initial shot. Solskjær described him as “fearless” for taking the penalty. On 30 March, Rashford scored the opening goal in United’s first victory with Solskjær as permanent manager, beating Watford 2–1.

2019–20 season: COVID-19 & Project Restart

On 1 July 2019, Rashford signed a new four-year contract with Manchester United, keeping him at the club until June 2023, with the option to extend by a further year. On the opening week of the season, Rashford scored a brace in a 4–0 win over Chelsea. In September 2019, following a spell of poor form, Solskjær said he was not concerned about Rashford’s dip in form and lack of goals. Towards the end of October, a return to form saw Rashford score in a 1–1 North West derby draw, ending rival’s Liverpool’s 17 match winning streak. The following week, Rashford scored and assisted against Norwich City, and scored a second brace against Chelsea in the EFL Cup. The return to form sparked by the Liverpool goal saw Rashford go on the best goalscoring run of his career to date, scoring 16 club goals in 20 matches, ending the run with a brace in a 4–0 victory over Norwich City. Rashford suffered a double stress fracture to the back in the following game, an FA Cup tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers, which put him out of action for several months. By playing in the game, he became the fourth youngest United player to have played 200 games for the club.

The season was halted for over three months, following a decision on 13 March 2020 by the Premier League to suspend the league after a number of players and other club staff became ill due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, manager Solskjær announced that Rashford would be fit to play following the return to football during project restart, which saw the Premier League season resume behind closed doors for the remainder of the season.  On 4 July, he scored his first goal since the restart as United beat Bournemouth 5–2. On 16 July, he scored his 17th Premier League goal of the season in a 2–0 victory against Crystal Palace, equalling his tally in the two previous seasons combined. At the end of season, Rashford was voted third for the English FWA Footballer of the Year award, he also received the PFA Merit Award.

2020–21 season

On 26 September 2020, Rashford scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 win against Brighton & Hove Albion. On 20 October 2020, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 away win against PSG in the first match of the 2020–21 Champions League. In the next Champions League match, Rashford scored his first United hat-trick in a 5–0 win over RB Leipzig; it was the second hat-trick ever scored by a United substitute, following manager Solskjær in the Premier League in 1999. He became the sixth United player to score a Champions League hat-trick, and the first since Robin van Persie in 2014. Rashford suffered a shoulder injury during a 3–1 victory against Everton; he continued to play despite the injury, but completed only one full game over the following month. On 26 December, Rashford became the third youngest Manchester United player to score 50 Premier League goals, when he scored the opening goal in the away fixture against Leicester City that ended in a 2–2 draw.

On 12 January 2021, Rashford assisted a goal for Pogba to score the only goal of the game against Burnley, which resulted in United being top of the table or the first time since the 2012–13 season. On 2 February, he scored the second goal in United’s Premier League record-equalling 9–0 win against Southampton. During a 1–0 win against West Ham in the FA Cup on 9 February, Rashford made his 250th appearance for the club, becoming the fourth youngest to reach the milestone.

International career

Youth

In 2012, Rashford was invited to an England under-16 training camp, and was later selected to play in the Victory Shield against Northern Ireland under-16s in September, and Wales under-16s in October. Under-16’s manager Kenny Swain later revealed that Rashford only played two appearances for the side due to an understanding with coaches at Manchester United regarding him being underdeveloped physically, and also thought the exposure would have been “too much” for him.

Three weeks after making his senior début for United in early 2016, Rashford made his first appearance for the England under-20 team, providing an assist for Kasey Palmer in a 2–1 defeat to Canada under-20s. Despite already making his senior début earlier in the year, Rashford was called up to the England under-21 team for the first time in August 2016 for a fixture in September against Norway under-21s. He scored a hat-trick in a 6–1 in his only appearance for the team, scoring the third with a penalty, his first since turning professional. Under-21 manager Gareth Southgate praised Rashford for his humility in dropping down to under-21 level.

Despite having already made his senior tournament début, it was expected Rashford would be available for selection for the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, with the hopes of gaining more tournament experience. United manager José Mourinho responded to these reports by stating it would make no sense for his development as he was already playing senior football. In April 2017, Mourinho appeared to concede Rashford would attend the tournament, saying he had no right to stop him from participating, but later in the month reiterated his opinion that dropping down wouldn’t make sense, with Rashford having gained so much senior experience throughout the season. In May, Rashford made the decision not to go to the tournament, and was instead selected for the senior squad by Southgate, the new manager. Southgate praised the decisions taken by United coaching staff in helping maximise the potential of Rashford by not allowing him exposure at youth level for England, saying his development had been handled well by all parties.

Senior

2016–2018: first major tournaments

Rashford’s performances in his first senior season led to calls for him to represent England at UEFA Euro 2016. Manchester United academy coach Nicky Butt dismissed these calls, calling them premature and possibly harmful for the player’s development, as did England manager Roy Hodgson, who said Rashford should be allowed to “develop in peace”. In April, Hodgson admitted it was “unlikely” Rashford would be included in his tournament squad, but on 16 May, Hodgson named him in his preliminary 26-man squad for the tournament. He became part of England’s Euro 2016 squad less than four months after making his United debut.

On 27 May, he started in a warm-up match against Australia at the Stadium of Light and scored the opening goal of a 2–1 win after three minutes, becoming the youngest Englishman to score on his international debut, and the third youngest overall. The previous youngest scoring debutant was Tommy Lawton in 1938. On 16 June, he replaced Adam Lallana in the 73rd minute of England’s 2–1 win over Wales at Euro 2016, making his tournament debut at the age of 18 years and 229 days, becoming England’s youngest ever player at a European Championships and breaking Wayne Rooney’s Euro 2004 record by four days. He played just one more game in the tournament, coming on as a late substitute in England’s shock 2–1 loss to Iceland in which he was praised for his impact, but described it as a valuable experience.

New England manager Sam Allardyce told Rashford he would not be called up to his first squad for a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Slovakia in September, citing his lack of playing time in the early stages of the season. Allardyce was quickly replaced by Southgate, and Rashford was recalled to the senior team for games against Malta and Slovenia in October. Rashford scored his first competitive goal for the senior team on 4 September 2017, with the winning goal in England’s 2–1 win over Slovakia in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. He was named in the 23-man England squad for the World Cup. Rashford scored the opening goal of England’s final warm-up match against Costa Rica on 7 June 2018, and was tipped by former England stars Chris Waddle and Glenn Hoddle to start England’s opening match against Tunisia. He started the game on the bench, but came on and performed well after replacing Raheem Sterling, deemed to be his direct competition for the starting role. He was reportedly set to start the second game against Panama due to the potential physically posed by their opposition, but Southgate ultimately changed his mind, Having already qualified for the knockout stage, he started England’s final group game against Belgium alongside Jamie Vardy, but failed to impress. Rashford came on as a substitute and scored in the Round of 16 penalty shoot-out against Colombia which saw England progress to the quarter-final, ultimately finishing fourth overall – their best performance since 1990.

2018–present

On 8 September 2018, Rashford scored at Wembley in England’s UEFA Nations League opener against Spain, losing 2–1. Three days later, Rashford also scored in a 1–0 friendly win over Switzerland at the King Power Stadium. The following month, he scored a goal and provided an assist in a 3–2 away win against Spain. England’s final Nations League game on 18 November saw Rashford play in a 2–1 win over Croatia that saw England top their group and qualify for the Nations League finals in June 2019. His appearance in this game saw Rashford equal a national record set by Jack Charlton in 1966 by playing a total of 16 games for England throughout the year. In the semi-final, Rashford scored the opening goal of the game against the Netherlands, however England lost 3–1 in extra time.

During the 2019 October internationals, Rashford scored his first goal in England’s qualification campaign for Euro 2020 in a 6–0 away victory over Bulgaria on 14 October. Rashford also scored in both of England’s November international, a 7–0 win over Montenegro and a 4–0 win over Kosovo. These wins saw England become the ninth team to qualify for Euro 2020.

Style of play, development and comparisons

Rashford can play as either a centre forward or a winger, primarily on the left-wing. Rashford himself prefers playing on the left, a position which allows him to cut inside and strike on goal with his stronger right foot, and likes to drop deep to collect the ball and build an attack, something he learned as a youngster when playing as a central midfielder following a battle with Osgood–Schlatter disease. In his formative years, Rashford’s former youth coach Paul McGuinness noted how he was attempting to play similarly to Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo, but he and fellow coaches Warren Joyce and Colin Little saw Rashford’s potential at a striker and helped him work on his body shape and various attacking runs. They advised him to focus on being a goalscorer rather than a creative player, and to use his pace to make runs behind the defence. His coaches were reminded of Danny Welbeck due to his versatility, but it was decided to instead teach him the “art” of goalscoring, instructing him how to make runs at the right time, and was held back from playing reserve team football to give him confidence in his goalscoring abilities by pitting him against lesser defences. Rashford says his versatility can enable him to become the “ultimate centre forward”.

Rashford is a pacey and direct player, and often moves to central positions to create chances and get into goalscoring positions. He constantly tests defenders both with his movement and positioning off the ball, meaning opponents often double up on him. Rashford’s former United manager José Mourinho has said he is “not a target man, he is a man of movement. I do not think he is a pure nine”, comments echoed by his manager with England, Gareth Southgate, who has said his ability to play with his back to goal and his hold-up play weren’t his major strengths, and is better suited as a “wide raider” coming in off the wing. His current manager at United, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, has been credited with improving him as a player and helping him mature by giving him freedom as a winger he hadn’t previously experienced. Rashford’s main attributes also include his dribbling ability, and his “ruthless” finishing ability, which has been compared to that of former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, a player McGuinness advised him to study while they worked together in the club’s academy. Rashford understands the need for a striker to be able to score different kinds of goals to be a player who can score 20-25 per season, and is said to be a player with composure and awareness. Rashford often takes penalties and free kicks for United, and has been known to use the knuckleball technique on set pieces, which was popularised by former United player Cristiano Ronaldo.

His success has been credited to his drive and personal ambition both on and off the pitch, and is viewed as a role model for younger players like Mason Greenwood due to his success at a young age. He attributes his “focus and dedication” to watching and listening to former United striker Robin van Persie, and recalls seeing pictures of former academy players such as David Beckham and Paul Scholes on the walls of Carrington, United’s training centre, and being determined to reach the same level they had. According to McGuinness he was always professional and mature, and even at a young age, has been described as a leader, with former United and England midfielder Owen Hargreaves saying he has the characteristics to be a captain. Rashford has praised former teammate Zlatan Ibrahimović and Mourinho with helping improve his mentality, describing their combined influence as key to his development. He has been described as a “big game player” due to his performances and contributions in important matches, including on several débuts for club and country. Rashford has also received praise for his willingness to play on despite major injuries, with manager Solskjær saying he would “run through a brick wall for you”, while his captain Harry Maguire describes him as a battler. Louis van Gaal, Rashford’s first senior manager, and Fletcher Moss coach Dave Horrocks have both praised his ability to handle criticism, with van Gaal saying it was amongst his best assets.

He is seen as a similar type of player to Thierry Henry in terms of style of play, physical attributes and end product. Van Gaal said his performances at a young age were similar to those of Patrick Kluivert, who he had managed at Ajax in the 1990s. Growing up, the player he most tried to emulate was Brazilian striker Ronaldo, having watched him score a hat-trick for Real Madrid in a Champions League quarter-final in the first match he attended live at Old Trafford. Speaking about Ronaldo, Rashford said: “I’ve grown up watching so much of him and his games. He always played free, and went out there and expressed himself. When you do that, that’s when you play your best football.” Rashford said that Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney were United players he idolised in his youth, having seen them join the team at an early age and watched many of their games live, and said of Ronaldo that “there is no bigger inspiration in football” after Rashford had begun his own professional career; comparisons have been made between the development of the two by Southgate, Solskjær, and McGuinness. He credits Rooney’s professionalism with helping him mature in the early stages of career, describing how he was “always ready to play and give his best”, and has been tipped by Little to break Rooney’s goalscoring record of 253 goals for the club. He has been described as a “student of the game”, continuing to watch matches of players such as Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero with the idea of studying and learning to improve his own game.

Charity and activism

Food poverty campaign

In October 2019, Rashford set up the In the Box campaign with Selfridges to give homeless people essential items over the Christmas period, something he had wanted to do when first training with United as a youth. He and his mother visited homeless shelters to personally hand the boxes out, while also sending some to a children’s home in his grandmother’s home country of St Kitts and Nevis. He was reportedly frustrated by the limited outreach the campaign resulted in.

In March 2020, during the UK lockdown imposed by Boris Johnson’s government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rashford teamed up with the poverty and food waste charity FareShare to deliver meals to those in the Greater Manchester area who were no longer receiving their free school meals, as well as to children who attended community centres and school breakfast clubs. Rashford initially contacted FareShare to make a “substantial” donation, but after discussion with CEO Lindsay Boswell, he decided to provide his full support. With an initial target of supporting 400,000 children in the region, the initiative quickly raised over £20 million to provide food for children nationwide who, if still at school, would be receiving free school meals. On 11 June, Rashford revealed that the charity had been able to reach three million children across the country, a figure which rose to four million the following month.

On 15 June, Rashford wrote an open letter to the UK government calling on them to end UK child poverty. A day later, the government announced a change in policy regarding the extension of free school meals for children during the summer holidays, with Rashford’s campaign credited as a major turning point in governmental talks; Rashford described himself as “proud” of what he had helped accomplish on behalf of 1.3 million children. His actions were described as a “political masterclass” by The Guardian, and he was praised for countering comments made by Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock regarding the contributions of footballers. On 1 September, in an attempt to tackle child food poverty, Rashford announced that he had set up the Child Food Poverty Task Force in collaboration with several UK food shops, manufacturers, charities and delivery companies. Later that month, he said he was “disappointed by the lack of empathy” being shown by Conservative members of parliament.

After he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in October, Rashford vowed to continue his campaign, and a week later he began a petition on the UK Parliament petitions website to end child food poverty, with demands made for expansion of the free school meals programme, provision of meals and activities during school holidays, and an increase in the value of Healthy Start vouchers. The petition received over 100,000 signatures in 10 hours, meaning it had passed the threshold to be considered for parliamentary debate, and received over 200,000 signatures in the first day. With the petition close to 300,000 signatures after less than a week, Labour proposed an opposition day debate on the matter of extending free school meals, which was rejected by a majority of 61. Rashford criticised those who voted against it as lacking humanity.

Later that week, Rashford began using his Twitter account to promote cafés, individual people and local businesses offering assistance to FareShare to help the impoverished around the country. He received the local backing of the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, and The Co-operative Group, to provide 1,000 food vouchers over half-term, which was quickly followed by councils and businesses across the North-West backing the efforts. He described himself as “blown away” by the nationwide support which followed, with over 100 businesses, charities, and local councils quickly pledging to the campaign. The same day, FareShare announced their new warehouse would be named Melanie Maynard House in honour of Rashford’s mother, and it was revealed they had received donations in record numbers in the day following the Parliamentary debate. In the following days, over 1,200 had signed up to provide free meals over the half-term, and Rashford’s petition became only the sixth to reach over one million signatures. On 8 November, it was announced that, because of Rashford’s campaign, the government would be providing funding of almost £400m over the next 12 months to support the cost of food and household bills to poor families. At the end of the month, former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and venture capitalist Michael Moritz pledged to double any donations through a Christmas fundraising appeal set up by Rashford in conjunction with The Times newspaper, with Ferguson declaring himself “proud” of Rashford. The campaign had raised over £2.7 million by the beginning of January.

In January 2021, Rashford again used his Twitter account to begin highlighting the “unacceptable” food packages parents had received through supplier Chartwells, an offspring of Compass Group, with Johnson again pressured into conducting a review into the situation after the pair had a conversation regarding the matter; during a Prime Minister’s Questions on 13 January, Johnson credited Rashford as being more effective opposition than the actual Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer, the current Leader of the Labour Party.

Universal Credit campaigning

In October 2020, Rashford publicly questioned Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak regarding a permanent £20 increase in Universal Credit, stressing his concern that many families would be “counting down the days” until the scheduled reversal the following April. A member of Rashford’s team told The Times the permanent annual increase of £1,040 was the “missing piece” in their campaign strategy. At the end of December, it was revealed by The Guardian that Rashford would have discussions with Thérèse Coffey, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, regarding the permanent increase in Universal Credit; Rashford had previously been critical of Coffey during the initial stages of his campaign.

Recognition

In the wake of the popularity generated by his charity work, Rashford signed with American rapper Jay-Z’s entertainment agency Roc Nation in April 2020, with president Michael Yormark saying he was a “shining example” of somebody who was “passionate about community”. On 15 July, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester in recognition of his work to end child poverty in the UK, becoming the youngest person to receive an honorary doctorate from the university. His efforts also led to him being featured on the September cover of British Vogue‘s “Activism Now” edition alongside Adwoa Aboah, which he downplayed, saying that he “had a voice and a platform that could be used to at least ask the questions”. In October, Rashford was appointed MBE in the 2020 Birthday Honours, and was also a recipient of the City of Manchester Award for his “outstanding and exceptional contribution to the city”.

At the 2020 Pride of Britain Awards, he won the award for Special Recognition for his campaign against child food poverty. Local street artist Akse honoured Rashford with a mural of him in Withington, a suburb of Manchester where Rashford lived at the time he signed for Fletcher Moss Rangers. The Voice, the only British African-Caribbean newspaper in the United Kingdom, named Rashford on the Football Black List, an initiative designed to celebrate influential black people in football. Rashford was named as Campaigner Of The Year in the 2020 GQ Men Of The Year awards. Although not on the main category shortlist, he was the recipient of a special award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award’s, with a documentary airing the following night. At the annual The Best FIFA Football Awards 2020 held in December, Rashford was the inaugural winner of the FIFA Foundation Award, with the FIFA Foundation CEO Youri Djorkaeff also donating £75,000 to the charities. In November 2020, Rashford was recognised for his sporting achievements and his activism, by being included in the 2020 edition of the annual Powerlist of the 100 most influential Black Britons. 

In January 2021, Rashford was awarded the The Guardian Footballer of the Year, an award given to “a player who has done something remarkable, whether by overcoming adversity, helping others or setting a sporting example by acting with exceptional honesty”, and was the recipient of the Football Writers’ Association’s (FWA) Tribute Award. In February, he was listed on Time magazine’s 100 Next list, selected as an “advocate”, and in April was named as part of Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30, Europe Sports & Games for showcasing “impactful leadership”.

Literacy campaign

For the 2020 World Book Day, Rashford was one of a number of celebrities who supported a campaign to help share a million stories. He also agreed to judge a poetry competition for children with hearing impairments, and began learning sign language in preparation.

In November, he teamed with Macmillan Publishers to launch a book club to help vulnerable and underprivileged children experience the “escapism of reading”, with Rashford saying that reading shouldn’t be something a family should have to budget for. Under the partnership, Rashford announced he would be releasing a children’s motivational book titled “You Are A Champion“.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 8 April 2021

International

As of match played 14 October 2020

As of match played 14 October 2020. England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Rashford goal.

List of international goals scored by Marcus Rashford

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	27 May 2016	Stadium of Light, Sunderland, England	1	Australia	1–0	2–1	Friendly
2	4 September 2017	Wembley Stadium, London, England	11	Slovakia	2–1	2–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	7 June 2018	Elland Road, Leeds, England	19	Costa Rica	1–0	2–0	Friendly
4	8 September 2018	Wembley Stadium, London, England	26	Spain	1–0	1–2	2018–19 UEFA Nations League A
5	11 September 2018	King Power Stadium, Leicester, England	27	Switzerland	1–0	1–0	Friendly
6	15 October 2018	Estadio Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain	29	Spain	2–0	3–2	2018–19 UEFA Nations League A
7	6 June 2019	Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, Guimarães, Portugal	32	Netherlands	1–0	1–3 (a.e.t.)	2019 UEFA Nations League Finals
8	14 October 2019	Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria	36	Bulgaria	1–0	6–0	UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
9	14 November 2019	Wembley Stadium, London, England	37	Montenegro	4–0	7–0	UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
10	17 November 2019	Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, Kosovo	38	Kosovo	3–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
11	11 October 2020	Wembley Stadium, London, England	39	Belgium	1–1	2–1	2020–21 UEFA Nations League A

Honours

Manchester United

• FA Cup: 2015–16
• EFL Cup: 2016–17
• FA Community Shield: 2016
• UEFA Europa League: 2016–17

England

• UEFA Nations League third place: 2018–19

Individual

• Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year: 2015–16
• Premier League Player of the Month: January 2019
• PFA Fans’ Player of the Month: December 2019
• Premier League Academy Graduate of the Year Award: 2019–20
• PFA Community Champion Award: 2019–20
• UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2019–20
• Manchester United Goal of the Season: 2019–20 (vs. Chelsea, 30 October 2019)
• PFA Merit Award: 2020
• FIFA Foundation Award: 2020
• The Guardian Footballer of the Year: 2020
• FWA Tribute Award: 2020
• FIFPro Merit Award: 2020
• Time 100 Next: 2021

Orders and special awards

• Member of the Order of the British Empire: 2020
• Campaigner Of The Year in the 2020 GQ Men Of The Year
• Expert Panel Special Award in the 2020 BBC Sports Personality of the Year
• Lockdown Heroes (Special Recognition) in the 2020 FSA Awards