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

[14] Rashford attended Ashton-on-Mersey School, where United have sent their academy players since 1998, close to their Carrington training ground;[15][16] he studied for a Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) National Diploma in Sport.

[19][20] 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.

[24] Former United youth coach Paul McGuinness quickly saw Rashford's potential due to his athleticism both on and off the ball,[21] 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.

[37] 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.

[39] Rashford's goals made him United's youngest ever scorer in European competition, beating a record previously held by George Best,[40] and which was later broken by Mason Greenwood in the 2019–20 season.

[61] 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.

[72][73] 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.

[81] The shirt had also previously been worn in the Premier League by Teddy Sheringham, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Wayne Rooney,[82] and he was the third academy graduate to wear it after Mark Hughes and David Beckham.

[83] On 2 September 2018, 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;[84] Mourinho labelled him "naïve", and put it down to inexperience.

[120] Rashford suffered a double stress fracture to the back in the following game, an FA Cup tie a\on 19 January 2020 gainst Wolverhampton Wanderers, which put him out of action for several months.

[156][157][158][159] On 16 February, Rashford became the third United player – after Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke in 1998 – to score against Barcelona at the Camp Nou during a 2–2 draw in a knockout round play-off in the Europa League.

[170] Ten Hag was dismissed by United on 29 October 2024, with Sporting CP head coach Ruben Amorim appointed as his replacement after Ruud van Nistelrooy's interim period.

[185] 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.

[196] 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.

[207] 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 2016, citing his lack of playing time in the early stages of the season.

[240] Due to a drop in form for United during the 2021–22 season, he was not called up to the England for March 2022 friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast,[241] and again in June for four Nations League matches against Hungary, Germany, and Italy,[242] with Southgate saying Rashford and club teammate Jadon Sancho had a lot to do to get back in the squad for the World Cup.

[290][291] 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",[292] while his captain Harry Maguire describes him as a battler.

[299][300] 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.

[309] In October 2019, Rashford set up the In the Box campaign with Selfridges to give homeless people essential items over the Christmas period,[310][311] something he had wanted to do when first training with United as a youth.

[322][323] His actions were described as a "political masterclass" by The Guardian,[324] and he was praised for countering comments made by Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock regarding the contributions of footballers.

[334] Later that week, Rashford began using his Twitter account to promote cafés, individual people, charities and local businesses offering assistance to FareShare to help the impoverished around the country.

[349] 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,[350][351] with Johnson again pressured into conducting a review into the situation after the pair had a conversation regarding the matter.

[354] In October 2020, Rashford publicly questioned Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak regarding a permanent £20 increase in Universal Credit,[355] stressing his concern that many families would be "counting down the days" until the scheduled reversal the following April.

[360] 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".

[363] In October 2021, in the ceremony at which the degree was conferred (delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic), Dame Nancy Rothwell, the Vice-Chancellor, called him "an exceptional young man who continues to demonstrate a sense of community and generosity that goes well beyond his years."

[364] 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".

[382] The following month, Rashford became the youngest person to be ranked number one in the Sunday Times Giving List, the newspaper's annual measure of "the generosity of those financially best equipped to make a difference".

[385] In 2023, Rashford's continued political influence led him to be ranked 42nd on the New Statesman's Left Power List 2023, described by the paper as a "one-man opposition party" that reimagined the role of the celebrity activist.