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A couple of hours after Marcus Rashford completes his day job for Manchester United against Leeds United at Old Trafford, the general public will be able to pay tribute to his humanitarian work when he receives a special award from the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year . Show.
Having their two very different worlds converge so quickly is a fitting way to mark Rashford’s extraordinary 2020. It is without doubt one of the most influential calendar years any British athlete has ever experienced.
At just 23 years old, Rashford has become a figure of national importance. His campaign on child poverty during the pandemic reached the highest corridors of power in government and ensured that all young people were fed.
Speaking from personal experience of her own tough times growing up, Rashford has ensured that it is a difficult subject that cannot be ignored.
The young man from Wythenshawe has also been able to lead important political and social issues without compromising his reputation as one of the most talented players of his generation.
Sometimes you thought: “Will this affect his football?” because he’s so young, ”United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said. “But he has taken responsibility and balanced it very well. It is outstanding.
“You can see that Marcus really cares about people who have had a difficult time or who are not as privileged as everyone else, or as he is now. As a footballer, he is also talented and down-to-earth and motivated enough to be a legend at this club. ”
Rashford’s double against Sheffield United last Thursday brought his tally to 19 goals for his club and his country this year. It’s impressive given that he missed six months due to injury and blocking. He put that free time to good use, starting a campaign in June to extend free meal vouchers that has prompted the government to commit to spending £ 400 million to support families in need during 2021. In October, he received an MBE for services to vulnerable children. during Covid -19.
In a documentary Feeding Britain’s Children set to air Monday night, Rashford explains her own early struggles as motivation to help. His mother Mel, who raised him as a single father, says: ‘Sometimes we didn’t even have a loaf of bread in the house. But I wouldn’t tell anyone I was struggling, it was embarrassing. ‘
It was United that gave Rashford the chance for a new life. He began training at the club at age seven and was allowed to move into the excavations at age 11, earlier than most of the children due to circumstances at home.
In an interview with the United podcast, he admits that he was left crying as a child because he couldn’t get in to train. ‘No boys [at United] as Eamon Mulvey, Tony Whelan and Dave Bushell [United academy coaches]It would never have made it through. It was impossible.
“There were a few times when I missed training because my mom had worked late and my brothers were working. My sisters had babies and there was no way I was getting there.
“ I remember missing training a couple of times and I used to sit at home crying. I always stopped before Mom got home. He came home early once and caught me crying in the living room. That’s when I told her and she was the one who told United: “We’re going to need some kind of help.”
‘They have drivers for me. They made it possible for me to get to train. When I was a kid, that was all I wanted. At eight, nine years.
United allowed Rashford to move in early. An injury crisis led Louis van Gaal to take him to the first team at 17. He scored twice in his debut against FC Midtjylland and hasn’t looked back. He only turned 23 in October and has already scored 79 goals in 230 United appearances. He has also scored 11 goals for England in 40 games.
But what began as a campaign after the government insisted it would not provide food stamps during the summer holidays for 1.3 million children in England quickly exploded. Last month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson stressed speaking directly to Rashford after he was persuaded to introduce a series of new measures to help the poorest children.
He still says a professional footballer on his passport and is eager to talk about United’s prospects, particularly as they face old rivals Leeds for the first time in the league since 2004, having had five wins and a draw in their last six matches and rising. up the table fast.
“I think the team we have now is capable of winning great trophies. The fact that they eliminated us from the Champions League obviously hurts, but we cannot change it now. It has happened and the only way to respond is by winning the next game, ”he says. I feel like we’re close, but not quite. We just have to give that final push to be a team that can fight for everything.
“In big games, we go toe to toe with anyone and we know we can do it. We have confidence whether in Liverpool, City, PSG. Against the great teams we show that we can give them a game. There is nothing greater than winning the Premier League or the Champions League, that is the dream ”.
Solskjaer was one of the first players to donate the proceeds of his testimony to a worthy cause. Seventy thousand people packed Old Trafford in 2008, a year after his retirement, and the beneficiaries were school projects in Angola, part of the link the players had with Unicef through United. Now he’s the boss and he’s proud of that when it comes to Rashford.
“We saw the real Marcus Rashford as a human being since he was a child. Your family, your environment and the environment in which you work shape you. You see that he really cares about people who have been through difficult times. He knows what they’re going through.
“ He has a great personal team around him, his brother and other people, so it’s not Marcus who does everything himself. ” [with the campaign]. You want other people to organize it too so you can balance the two most important things in your life.
“When Unicef asked me to be an ambassador, I was happy to use my position as a role model. It’s similar for Marcus now. He is the role model. It can affect and influence so many people. ‘
And Solskjaer feels the future is in good hands with Rashford. ‘As a player, your stats already show your contribution. Also in and around the locker room, he’s a Man United boy through and through. I am absolutely delighted with your contribution. It has the DNA.
Of course I try to take care of it, I try to protect it. You never know in a footballer’s career if he is lucky or unlucky with injuries. He had a back injury last year and it’s up to me and the staff to make sure we protect him.
But everyone really respects him for what he’s done. At some clubs, the response we’ve had from them and Marcus has been incredible. ”
From the Theater of Dreams in Old Trafford to the BBC television studio in Salford to pay tribute to his work for children, this will be Rashford’s day and you will feel equally at home on both stages.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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