If Nike had to make an advertisement portraying a story of the meteoric rise of a player, Marcus Rashford would fit the bill eminently. The Manchester United forward, who turns 19 today, was a Manchester United youth team player at the start of last season, but boy, has he made one hell of an entrance into the elites of world football!
Brought into the senior team by Louis van Gaal early on in the season, Rashford endured the ups and downs of life on the Manchester United bench during the first half of the season, when he did not make a single appearance for United and was restricted to one appearance on the substitutes lineup.
As luck would have it, a spate of injuries to United’s senior squad members forced van Gaal to field Rashford as his starting striker in a Europe League game, and the rest, as they say, is part of footballing history. The following are 5 facts about Rashford that would help you understand the impact he has had on British football since his arrival:
#1 He was on wages of £500 a week when he made his debut for United
Incidentally, while Rashford had a major hand in salvaging the Red Devils’ 2015-16 season and giving Louis van Gaal the only silverware of his time at the club, he was doing it without a full senior contract with the club.
Rashford signed his first professional contract with Ed Woodward on 30th May 2016 – after the unveiling of Jose Mourinho as Manchester United’s manager for the ongoing Premier League season.
Till the time Rashford put pen to paper, he had already shown glimpses of his immense talent, as well as his big-match mentality. His brace that gave United a 3-2 win at home against Arsenal with a vastly depleted side brought him onto the gaze of clubs from the rest of Europe.
#2 Only United player to ever score on his debut in 3 different competitions
If stage fright could ever be a factor on the professional stage, Marcus Rashford surely does not have any clue about it. For starters, the youngster scored a brace to guide Manchester United past Danish minnows Midtjylland and save Louis van Gaal’s blushes on his Europa League debut.
It did not stop there. United’s frighteningly wafer-thin squad was put to one of the sternest tests of the season at Old Trafford against an Arsenal side that had soundly beaten them 3-0 in the reverse fixture. Rashford popped up twice in the first half, at the right place and the right time, to score what proved to be the winning goals for United.
Rashford made his debut in the English League cup against Northampton Town on September 21st this year, and his goal in that game gave him the distinction of becoming the only Manchester United player ever to score on his debut in 3 different competitions. Incidentally, the forward has also scored on his England U21 and Manchester United youth team debuts.
#3 Was 18 years and 120 days old when he scored his first brace for United
In one of the uncanniest coincidences in world football, Rashford scored his debut brace in the Premier League at exactly the same age as his Manchester United captain and mentor, Wayne Rooney. His brace against Midtjylland in his debut senior game was also the same kind of statement as Rooney made with his Premier League debut.
The England captain had, incidentally, bagged his first brace for Everton against Southampton, eventually setting off on a career that would leave most players in the world envious of him.
While this particular feat of Rashford did not break any other record, the fact that his brace came against Arsenal makes it all the more important to his career.
#4 Scored on his first full England start
Rashford’s eye-catching run of form led to his call-up to England’s preliminary squad for the Euros. He was thrown into the starting lineup for a warm up game against Australia at the Stadium of Light, and the youngster took the occasion by the scruff of the neck in characteristic fashion.
Within 3 minutes of the start of the game, Rashford capitalized upon a loose ball in the penalty area and finished with an emphatic volley at the near post. It was one of his first touches in the game, and the lead he gave was instrumental in winning the game for England by a 2-1 margin.
#5 Youngest player ever to take the field for England in a major international tournament finals
After his wonderfully natural transition from Manchester United reserve to debut goalscorer in his first England cap within less than 3 months, the entire nation was eagerly awaiting his inclusion in the final cut for England’s 23-man squad, and it duly came by.
Rashford first appeared in the tournament late on during England’s dramatic late win against Wales, coming on in the 73rd minute for Adam Lallana. At 18 years and 229 days, Rashford beat Wayne Rooney’s previous record by a margin of 4 days, although England’s 2016 campaign was fated just as badly as their 2004 campaign in which Rooney set the competition on fire.
