Marcus Rashford

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

A product of the Manchester United youth system, Rashford joined the club at the age of seven.

Marcus Rashford was born on 31 October 1997 in Manchester, and raised in the Fallowfield, Withington, and Wythenshawe areas of the city.

He is of paternal Jamaican descent, and maternal Kittitian descent, with his grandmother 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 worked multiple jobs, sometimes skipping meals to ensure her children had enough to eat.

Rashford 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 footballer Lois Maynard, who plays as a midfielder for Radcliffe.

A lifelong supporter of his local football club Manchester United, Rashford grew up in a family divided in their support of United and local rivals Manchester City.

Rashford attended Ashton-on-Mersey School, where United have sent their academy players since 1998, close to their Carrington training ground; he studied for a Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) National Diploma in Sport.

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 Moss 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 a result of difficulty getting there while his mother and brothers were at work.

He 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.

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 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".

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.

Rashford scored two goals on both his first-team and European 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 won the FA Cup, two EFL Cups, the FA Community Shield and the UEFA 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 has since appeared at two UEFA European Championship; 2016, where he was the tournament's youngest player, and 2020, where he appeared in the final as England finished runners-up to Italy.

In February 2016, Rashford was subject to a loan bid from League One club 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.

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.

He has also represented England at the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Rashford has been praised for using his platform to be a political activist and philanthropist to drive societal change.

He is a campaigner against racism, homelessness and child hunger in the United Kingdom.

He has been recognised for his efforts by organisations both within and outside of sport, and was subject of a mural painted by street artist Akse in Withington.

Rashford's goals made him 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.