Birthday boy Rashford is a real-life hero
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
I never thought I’d start a piece for this football club paraphrasing Mahatma Gandhi, but these are unique times and Marcus Rashford is a unique individual.
United’s no.10 today turns 23. He’ll mark the occasion with some light training, clean living and an early night ahead of tomorrow’s game against Arsenal. After that, maybe he can reflect on the year he’s had.
Marcus has enjoyed career-best form on the pitch, picked up a doctorate, an MBE and, most importantly of all, enabled four million children in Britain to eat when they were on the brink of going without food. When I was 22, my big year comprised passing my driving test and starting work here.
United’s no.10 today turns 23. He’ll mark the occasion with some light training, clean living and an early night ahead of tomorrow’s game against Arsenal. After that, maybe he can reflect on the year he’s had.
Marcus has enjoyed career-best form on the pitch, picked up a doctorate, an MBE and, most importantly of all, enabled four million children in Britain to eat when they were on the brink of going without food. When I was 22, my big year comprised passing my driving test and starting work here.
Match Quiz
#quizOur latest edition is all about Marcus Rashford's Champions League hat-trick against RB Leipzig.
This is not about football. Nor is it about politics. Nor is it a bid to crowbar Rashford’s name in the ferocious Team Mandela vs Team Theresa humanitarian GOAT debate. This is merely an ode to an outstanding young man and his incredible achievements.
Manchester United is a global club and there is a possibility that, until now, we haven’t shouted long and loud enough about what Marcus has been doing. Word may not have spread far and wide beyond the simple distillation of this: he’s trying to feed kids across the UK who are in danger of going hungry.
In reality, it isn’t any more complicated than that. As Marcus said earlier this year: “Let’s stand together in saying that no children in the UK should be going to bed hungry. As I have said many times before, no matter your feeling or opinion, not having access to food is NEVER the child’s fault.”
There are, incredibly, naysayers affronted by Marcus’s actions. Their attempts to hurl shade tend to be shared and repetitious.
Stay in your lane and stick to football.
Parents should feed their own children.
Pay for it all yourself if you’re so bothered.
Stop virtue signalling.
Manchester United is a global club and there is a possibility that, until now, we haven’t shouted long and loud enough about what Marcus has been doing. Word may not have spread far and wide beyond the simple distillation of this: he’s trying to feed kids across the UK who are in danger of going hungry.
In reality, it isn’t any more complicated than that. As Marcus said earlier this year: “Let’s stand together in saying that no children in the UK should be going to bed hungry. As I have said many times before, no matter your feeling or opinion, not having access to food is NEVER the child’s fault.”
There are, incredibly, naysayers affronted by Marcus’s actions. Their attempts to hurl shade tend to be shared and repetitious.
Stay in your lane and stick to football.
Parents should feed their own children.
Pay for it all yourself if you’re so bothered.
Stop virtue signalling.
As Marcus tweeted on Wednesday night, after hitting his fifth, sixth and seventh goals of the season to solidify his place at United’s top scorer: “On a serious note, what is virtue signalling?”
Basically, it’s the antonym of Marcus Rashford. This is not a young man attempting to build a brand or cultivate PR by attaching himself to the hull of a noble vessel. He’s at the tiller, breaking off only to give bashful, almost apologetic interviews to raise awareness of his cause. Moreover, rather than spout hollow words, history has shown us that he’s a man of action.
Marcus visited the victims of 2017’s Manchester Arena bombing in their hospital beds. His response to the city’s growing homelessness numbers in 2019 was to initiate a charity campaign in tandem with Selfridges. Tackling racism is an altogether tougher quest to quantify, but calling it out on social media is his way of directly highlighting the issue, while his ongoing success as a young black man, both working class and world class, plays the longer game of showcasing societal opportunities as they should be.
To summarise: he’s in favour of equality for each race, plus food and shelter for all. It’s hard to fathom any wriggle room in there for an alternative stance, hence why Marcus has been showered in plaudits from all around the game, both inside and out. He has transcended tribalism. Were supporters allowed into stadiums, he’d be receiving standing ovations in the most deep-rooted anti-United areas because surely – surely – we can all see where the lines are on this kind of stuff. Raheem Sterling has been an inspirational anti-racism advocate. Jordan Henderson was the driving force of the #PlayersTogether movement which raised millions for the NHS during lockdown. Do those commendable actions count any less for the badges on their shirt? Not a jot. These are outstanding individuals who can see the bigger picture outside football’s bubble.
Basically, it’s the antonym of Marcus Rashford. This is not a young man attempting to build a brand or cultivate PR by attaching himself to the hull of a noble vessel. He’s at the tiller, breaking off only to give bashful, almost apologetic interviews to raise awareness of his cause. Moreover, rather than spout hollow words, history has shown us that he’s a man of action.
Marcus visited the victims of 2017’s Manchester Arena bombing in their hospital beds. His response to the city’s growing homelessness numbers in 2019 was to initiate a charity campaign in tandem with Selfridges. Tackling racism is an altogether tougher quest to quantify, but calling it out on social media is his way of directly highlighting the issue, while his ongoing success as a young black man, both working class and world class, plays the longer game of showcasing societal opportunities as they should be.
To summarise: he’s in favour of equality for each race, plus food and shelter for all. It’s hard to fathom any wriggle room in there for an alternative stance, hence why Marcus has been showered in plaudits from all around the game, both inside and out. He has transcended tribalism. Were supporters allowed into stadiums, he’d be receiving standing ovations in the most deep-rooted anti-United areas because surely – surely – we can all see where the lines are on this kind of stuff. Raheem Sterling has been an inspirational anti-racism advocate. Jordan Henderson was the driving force of the #PlayersTogether movement which raised millions for the NHS during lockdown. Do those commendable actions count any less for the badges on their shirt? Not a jot. These are outstanding individuals who can see the bigger picture outside football’s bubble.
Goal of the Day: Rashford v Burton Albion Video
Goal of the Day: Rashford v Burton Albion
It's Marcus Rashford's 23rd birthday tomorrow! Let's celebrate with his dream strike against Burton Albion in 2017...
For Marcus, that perspective is rooted in his own experiences. Having lived through aspects of poverty during his upbringing in Wythenshawe, in the relatively recent past, he knows the life his success navigated. But to climb out of darkness through talent and graft, only to turn and thrust a hand back into the darkness, gives you a measure of the man. As he said: “Now that I’m in this position that I’m in, it’s very important for me to help the people that are struggling.”
An influential outlier reeking of decency, empathy and class, making the most of his voice and relentlessly demanding action. On the political landscape, Marcus is a titan. In the summer, his persistence prompted the government to perform a U-turn on their decision not to extend free school meal vouchers for families in need through the summer holidays. Even upon receiving his MBE, for which he was nominated by the government, he used his acceptance statement to declare that the fight was far from over.
Having initiated the summer U-turn, Marcus was denied another for the October half-term.Then we started to see his true impact.
All over Britain, inspired by United’s no.10, individuals and businesses stepped in to feed the children going hungry. United contributed 5,000 meals. While micro-solutions poured in, Marcus continued to push a parliamentary petition to provide lasting, longer-term relief for those in need. Requiring 100,000 signatures to provoke consideration for debate in the House of Commons, at time of writing there were roughly one million excess signatures provided.
Be the change you want to see.
CL hat-tricks: Rashford v RB Leipzig Video
CL hat-tricks: Rashford v RB Leipzig
Three goals in 27 minutes on the pitch: Marcus Rashford’s Old Trafford treble is the quickest by a Champions League sub…
Marcus’s deeds have directly contributed to the wellbeing of families on all sides of all divides in this country. In a fractured society, he is truly a unifying figure, indiscriminately bringing out the best in people. He is making heroes.
As football-mad kids, we grow up with heroes that we can’t come close to emulating without sustained lifestyle choices. Now we all have in our midst a superman to whom we can look for realistic heroism. Be better, be human, be Marcus.
It’s also worth taking a moment to highlight some of the invaluable charitable work undertaken down the years by many figures across our playing staff, who have shown an admirable interest in looking outside that football bubble. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a UNICEF ambassador, Michael Carrick has his own foundation, Juan Mata’s Common Goal work is world renowned, Paul Pogba launched a clean drinking water initiative, Odion Ighalo opened an orphanage in Nigeria and every single member of United’s squad contributed towards the NHS during lockdown. Other clubs have their own heroes doing incredible things all over the planet.
As football-mad kids, we grow up with heroes that we can’t come close to emulating without sustained lifestyle choices. Now we all have in our midst a superman to whom we can look for realistic heroism. Be better, be human, be Marcus.
It’s also worth taking a moment to highlight some of the invaluable charitable work undertaken down the years by many figures across our playing staff, who have shown an admirable interest in looking outside that football bubble. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a UNICEF ambassador, Michael Carrick has his own foundation, Juan Mata’s Common Goal work is world renowned, Paul Pogba launched a clean drinking water initiative, Odion Ighalo opened an orphanage in Nigeria and every single member of United’s squad contributed towards the NHS during lockdown. Other clubs have their own heroes doing incredible things all over the planet.
Rashford 'honoured and humbled' to receive MBE
ArticleMarcus is proud of the latest recognition for his off-field work and pledges to continue fighting child poverty.
Football has the power to help society improve, and the sport’s growing movements to establish equality and eradicate hunger are central to making the world a better place. Leading the line is our own no.10 and it’s impossible to overstate the admiration everybody at this club feels for him.
He’s a successful, talented, selfless young man pointing us towards a brighter future as a society while excelling for his boyhood club. There can be no more perfect snapshot than Wednesday night, smashing in a Champions League hat-trick while wearing boots daubed with good luck messages from children he has helped to feed.
Marcus became the change he wanted to see and that change is echoing through society. Behold this extraordinary man carrying out extraordinary deeds in extraordinary times.
To find out more about Marcus's work with FareShare, follow @FareShareUK on Twitter.
The opinions expressed in this article are personal to the author.
He’s a successful, talented, selfless young man pointing us towards a brighter future as a society while excelling for his boyhood club. There can be no more perfect snapshot than Wednesday night, smashing in a Champions League hat-trick while wearing boots daubed with good luck messages from children he has helped to feed.
Marcus became the change he wanted to see and that change is echoing through society. Behold this extraordinary man carrying out extraordinary deeds in extraordinary times.
To find out more about Marcus's work with FareShare, follow @FareShareUK on Twitter.
The opinions expressed in this article are personal to the author.
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