Marcus Rashford’s latest stop on the road to redemption has led him to Barcelona and one of the elite stages in the global game.
The 27-year-old England forward who lost his way at Manchester United and was brutally exiled by head coach Ruben Amorim may have finally landed on his feet on loan at Barcelona, under the expert guidance of head coach Hansi Flick.
Many observers felt Rashford was fortunate to be afforded such a platform following an earlier loan spell at Aston Villa that was hardly stellar, and which was ended prematurely by a hamstring injury.
He will be as aware as anyone that if he falls short at Barcelona, he is unlikely to get another shot at a club of this stature.
And yet, in the space of nine stunning minutes of Barcelona’s opening Champions League meeting with Newcastle at St James’ Park, Rashford delivered a reminder of the thrilling talent he used to be – and still has time to be again.
To make Rashford’s night even better, it was all done in front of watching England head coach Thomas Tuchel, who retains enough faith to keep including the forward in his squad despite the fact he has become something of a wandering star.
Rashford had hinted at what was to come in fleeting first-half moments, especially when an extravagant dummy left Kieran Trippier trailing in his wake, only to spoil his good work with a poor finish.
It all changed on 58 minutes when he opened up what had been a tight encounter, getting on the end of Jules Kounde’s right-wing cross to plant a firm header beyond Newcastle keeper Nick Pope’s right hand.
This was Rashford’s first Champions League goal in almost four years and his first for Barcelona.
What followed nine minutes later was arguably the finest moment he has produced in recent memory.
He collected possession 20 yards out before, in the blink of an eye, flashing a stunning finish past Pope, the strike made even more spectacular because it kissed the bar before hitting the back of the net. Newcastle’s keeper barely saw it, let alone had a chance to do something about it.
Rashford turned away to accept the acclaim of Barcelona’s fans perched high in the Leazes End, the previous taunts of Newcastle’s supporters silenced.
The cameras cut to Tuchel, who was not moving a facial muscle but who must have surely been smiling inside at two such significant contributions.
Barcelona coach Flick sounded like a man who knew this was coming: “We always see this from Rashford in training and we saw it here. I’m happy for him.
“In the offense we have a lot of good players and he’s one. I’m happy to have him. He gives us more options to follow the match. It’s great to have him.
“These two goals will help a lot to get Marcus to the next step. It’s so important he has the confidence and feels OK. These goals are unbelievable for him for the next steps.”
Flick’s sympathetic approach may be the perfect fit for Rashford, who has been hurt by his recent experiences and will need bringing out of his shell.
The manner in which he performed after opening the scoring was that of a player with a weight suddenly lifted off his shoulders.
Rashford said: “Playing for Barca is an amazing experience. I’ve always been a huge admirer of Barcelona. We want to win as much as possible.
“100% I’m full of excitement. I’m very motivated and determined. The quality we have in the team excites me. It’s so refreshing to play with these players.”
Of course, if Barcelona’s 18-year-old genius Lamine Yamal had been fit Rashford may not even have started, but football is about moments and opportunities and he took his spectacularly.
The celebrated Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha started alongside Rashford, but it was the latter who was the pick and grabbed the headlines.
Rashford is the latest player to be sent on his way from Manchester United and suggest they may have lost something they actually need, the most obvious example being Scott McTominay at Napoli.
Another former Old Trafford forward Anthony Elanga, now at Newcastle following a £55m move from Nottingham Forest, provided some of the brightest moments for Eddie Howe’s side, especially when he set up a first-half chance which Harvey Barnes should have scored.
Former United keeper Dean Henderson has won the FA Cup and England honours at Crystal Palace, while even the much-derided striker Rasmus Hojlund made a scoring start at Napoli.
Left-back Alvaro Carreras, who was sold to Benfica in January 2024, has just signed for Real Madrid in a deal believed to be worth around £50m.
“Marcus showed what a top, top player he is. We forgot about his talent at Manchester United but he showed he is a real top talent and back to the old Marcus,” said former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt on Champions League Match of the Day.
“His work-rate as well, he was very positive in what he was doing. From a young boy he has always threatened a goal and the goal was an amazing header.
“It was an unbelievable strike [for the second goal] and he has got that in his locker. He is a great striker of the ball and he was the best player.
“Ruben Amorim will be thinking ‘what have I done, I’ve let that go’ when Manchester United are struggling. You need to be loved and he needs an arm around him and when he has that he has shown what he can do.”
When Rashford was substituted after 82 minutes he was given a deafening standing ovation from the visiting supporters. The acclaim was repeated after the final whistle.
Rashford has taken a significant stride on that road to redemption – now can he use the Barcelona stage to finally put his career back on the straight and narrow?
