RON MASTERCLASS HAD ME HOOKED
Old Trafford treble blew Rashford away
MARCUS RASHFORD admits he was hooked on Brazilian football before he could even tie his own boot laces.
Rashford grew up idolising the Samba stars from the moment he clapped eyes on Brazil legend Ronaldo. The England ace was just five when his older brother Dwaine took him to Old Trafford to watch a Champions League showdown between Manchester United and Real Madrid in 2003.
It was the night Ronaldo set Old Trafford alight with a stunning hat-trick that even left Sir Alex Ferguson drooling on the sidelines.
United still won the game 4-3, despite Ronaldo’s remarkable display. But after United crashed out of Europe on aggregate, Rashford went home dreaming of emulating his new Brazilian hero.
He has made a decent fist of it so far as the rising star for both United and England. In fact, his stunning exploits for club and country have even caught the attention of the man himself, with Ronaldo admitting the 20-year-old reminds him of himself.
That could be because Rashford did his best to model himself on the former Real, Barcelona and Inter Milan superstar.
He said: “My first-ever game that I saw live, Ronaldo was playing. It was at Old Trafford and I always remember it. It was in 2003. He scored a hat-trick. I was only young, though. I was five.
“He was my brother’s favourite player, that’s why I’ve grown up watching so much of him and his games.
“I used to watch a lot of him growing up – all of his matches. He was obviously a top player who won a lot of things in his career, so when you know he’s saying good things about you, then it really stands out. He always played free. No matter where he was playing, he played free and went out there and expressed himself. When you do that, that’s when you play your best football.
“I think you do that naturally. When you’re young, you watch clips of the best players in the world and try and emulate them, so it just tends to happen naturally.
“Who doesn’t enjoy watching the type of football Brazil play? When they’re at their best, it’s unbelievable football to watch.”
Skills
Rashford will look to showcase his skills against his favourite footballing nation tomorrow when he leads Englands attack against Brazil at Wembley.
Barring injury, he is guaranteed to be on the plane to Russia next summer for the World Cup. He will carry the hopes of a nation on his shoulders and is relishing the challenge, whether he operates outwide, up front on his own or in an attacking duo alongside Harry Kane.
England’s fresh-faced squad hope to build on the positives from Fridays goalless draw with world champions Germany as the clock ticks down to next summer’s finals.
Rashford said: “We are all massively excited for it. The four games we have not building up to be important it now are going to important for us. I thought we were good against Germany. It was something to look back on, think positive and build on.