{"id":13589,"date":"2017-11-13T20:13:09","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T20:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/?p=13589"},"modified":"2023-05-30T23:58:39","modified_gmt":"2023-05-30T22:58:39","slug":"ronaldo-the-inspiration-for-marcus-rashford-as-england-face-brazil-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bcpdt.org.uk\/news\/2017\/11\/13\/ronaldo-the-inspiration-for-marcus-rashford-as-england-face-brazil-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Ronaldo the inspiration for Marcus Rashford as England face Brazil test"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marcus Rashford\u00a0reveals how watching Brazilian great play live – and later earning his praise – was key to his progression from schoolboy to international footballer.<\/p>\n

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\"PoweredThis article titled “Ronaldo the inspiration for Marcus Rashford as England face Brazil test” was written by Sachin Nakrani, for The Guardian on Sunday 12th November 2017 22.30 UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

The story has been told countless times: On 23 April 2003, Roman Abramovich was in attendance at Old Trafford to witness Manchester United beat Real Madrid 4-3 <\/a>in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie. It was an encounter full of drama and wonderful attacking play that not only contributed to the Spanish side progressing 6-5 on aggregate but Abramovich falling in love with football. The Russian, captivated and with billions burning in his back pocket, paid \u00a3140m for Chelsea three months later and changed the game in this country.<\/p>\n

What is less known is that there was someone else watching on at Old Trafford that spring evening who would go on to have an impact on English football, less significantly but in its own way also an absorbing tale. He was five at the time, a United supporter who while disappointed by his team\u2019s defeat was left elated and fascinated by what he had just seen, in particular by the contribution of Ronaldo (the original one), who scored a hat-trick and played with such verve and ruthlessness that he received a standing ovation from the majority of the crowd upon being substituted on 67 minutes. The five\u2011year-old was on his feet, too. His name? Marcus Rashford.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first ever game that I saw live, he [Ronaldo] was playing in it,\u201d says the striker. \u201cI always remember it; it was in 2003 and he scored a hat-trick. I was only young, but he was my brother\u2019s favourite player, so I\u2019ve grown up watching so much of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

That will come as little surprise to anyone who has observed Rashford develop since he gripped the national consciousness by scoring twice on his United debut in a 5-1 victory against FC Midtjylland <\/a>in the Europa League some 21 months ago. His rise to ascendancy has been rapid ever since, with his attacking style built around clever movement and quick, confident, adventurous running.<\/p>\n

Rashford has clearly been inspired by Ronaldo and it therefore understandably means a lot to the 20-year-old ahead of England\u2019s friendly with Brazil at Wembley on Tuesday night, when he is expected to start for Gareth Southgate\u2019s side, that the Sele\u00e7\u00e3o<\/em>\u2019s legendary No9 also sees a lot of himself in Rashford, saying as much last year before describing the forward as \u201ccourageous\u201d, \u201cfast\u201d and \u201cvery good with the ball\u201d.<\/p>\n

Rashford says: \u201cHe was a top player who won a lot of things, so when he\u2019s saying good things about you it really stands out. When you\u2019re young you watch clips of the best players in the world and try to emulate them. With Ronaldo, I liked how he always played free. No matter where he was playing, he went out there and expressed himself. When you do that, that\u2019s when you play your best football.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is debatable whether or not Rashford is playing his best football right now. The striker has scored eight times in 23 appearances for club and country this season and not at all in his last five. However, there have been mitigating circumstances. Since the previous international break last month, Rashford has started only four of United\u2019s seven games and on one of those occasions was deployed in an unfamiliar wide-left role, while on the other three he was tasked with what is nowadays the unusual responsibility of operating in a two-man attack. It should also be noted that in his one outing for England since the national team\u2019s 1-0 victory against Lithuania on 8 October \u2013 the goalless draw with Germany last Friday \u2013 Rashford only featured for half an hour, having come on as a second-half substitute.<\/p>\n