Marcus Rashford’s life lessons: ‘If you can help someone, you should!’

Not only is Manchester United star Marcus Rashford, 23, representing England in the UEFA Euro 2020, he has become a national hero, campaigning for free school dinners throughout the pandemic. Here’s what the sports star has learned along the way...

‘Either you do nothing – or start grafting’

Marcus’ successful campaign for free school meals came after his own experience as a child. Growing up in a single-parent family with little money on Manchester’s Northern Moor estate – where some of Channel 4’s iconic show Shameless was filmed – he would often go to bed on an empty stomach.

Speaking of his family’s difficulties, he said, “I struggle to explain hunger as a kid. If you haven’t been through it, you just don’t know what I am on about. I remember countless times playing out, and then if there wasn’t any food, just forcing myself to sleep because I knew there would be a meal the next morning. I really was that hungry and a lot of the times, that’s just what I had to do. But what’s bad is that it became part of a routine. It wasn’t happening once a month – it was two or three times a week. If you combine the lack of food I was having with the amount of exercise I was doing, my nutrition was all over the gaff. Either you do nothing about it and struggle, or start grafting.”

‘In life, there’s the right thing and wrong thing to do’

In October last year, Marcus – who has raised over £20 million for charity – was awarded an MBE for his work in tackling child poverty. But he says his greatest achievement is seeing families “not struggling any more”.

He said, “I think the recognition of the MBE actually helped more people understand and has given them the opportunity to learn about what I’m doing, and because of that it allowed more people to be helped. I don’t know anything about politics. In life, there’s the right thing to do and the wrong thing to do, and for me it’s as simple as that. If somebody needs help, if you’re in a position to help them, you should help them.”

‘Spread positive messages on social media’

Despite having 10 million Instagram followers, the footballer spends little time on social media. But Marcus is keen for it to be used in a “positive” way, saying, “I keep myself to myself away from the pitch, but I think nowadays there’s so many things going on that have nothing to do with football that can affect your football.

“For me, it’s about just trying to stay away from all of that and do what matters – spend time with family, spend time with friends. I like [social media], but I don’t like when it’s the main focus for someone. [But] if you can spread positive messages through the social media channels, then by all means do that.”

‘Friends can be family too’

Marcus also has a close bond with his best friends from childhood: Jamie, Ashley and Roshaun. Speaking of their bond, he said, “Jamie, Ashley and I were inseparable when we were younger. Later on, we met this lad called Roshaun, and he joined our gang. I’m still friends with all of them, but I don’t really see them as friends any more – they’re so special to me that they’re basically my other family.

“I can share the same things with them that I’d share with my mum or my siblings, and they know they can trust me, too. I’m so thankful for my friends. It may sound strange, but I feel like I can be a bit difficult. I can be disorganised, or talk about football too much. It can take time to get used to me, and my friends understand and love me anyway. And I understand them and love them back.”

‘Be proud of who you are’

Despite his success, Marcus has sadly dealt with racist abuse. In January, the footballer – who is single after splitting with childhood girlfriend, Lucia Loi – was forced to hit back after being targeted on social media.

He said, “Humanity and social media at its worst. Yes, I’m a black man and I live every day proud that I am. No one, or no one comment, will make me feel any different. Sorry if you were looking for a strong reaction – you’re not going to get it. I have beautiful children of all colours following me and they don’t need to read it. Beautiful colours that should only be celebrated.”

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‘Mum taught me to look on the bright side’

His mother, Melanie, is Marcus’ hero. The single mum from Manchester juggled many jobs to provide for her three children, with Marcus saying, “My mum, Melanie, is an unbelievably strong woman. Sometimes I cannot put into words how much I love her. My mum has been through some of the worst things, but she has never let anything take away her smile. When I was growing up, she worked three jobs and ran a house with my siblings and myself running about the place, and she still found time to give us so much love and good advice.

“She always tries to see the bright side of things, which is something I’m so lucky to have learned from her. I often get asked, ‘Who is the toughest person you know?’ and I think people always expect me to say another footballer. But my answer every single time is my mum.”