What if Marcus Rashford has been born 15 years earlier, in 1982 rather than 1997? He’d have turned 22 in 2004 as United were beginning another rebuild with youngsters Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. He would have been under the stable leadership of Sir Alex Ferguson rather than playing under seven different managers as he did in 10 years in United’s first team.
Some of the failings of Rashford are absolutely on the player, but it’s a chicken and egg situation. Would he have faced so much criticism had his confidence been high in a winning team rather than changing environments or being asked to play differently by each coach?
Would it have become an issue going out on his birthday if United were winning derbies – as United did – rather than losing them? Not at all.
Rashford could have played for United against Real Madrid four times in the early noughties. Played against the world’s most successful club again in 2013.
So despite Rashford being Barcelona’s oldest player in Tuesday’s Champions League win against Olympiakos, Rashford has never played a competitive game against Real Madrid.
That is set to change on Sunday in the biggest derby in club world football – the Clasico which will be played in the redeveloped 84,000-seater Bernabeu, the world’s best football stadium.
It’s Rashford’s chance to shine on the biggest stage as two brilliant teams go head to head. This is the encounter where Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho really made their mark, with performances so sublime that Madrid fans applauded them. Barcelona won all four Clasicos last season in league and cup, but Real Madrid are, well, Real Madrid.
Injuries to teammates and good form mean that Rashford, 27, has become a first-choice starter for Barca. It helps that manager Hansi Flick is fully behind him, that he has world-class players alongside.
He took some time to adjust to Spanish football after arriving on a year-long loan from United, but he is impressing now. Rashford came off the bench in Barcelona’s first three league games and didn’t score or assist, but he assisted in his first start at home to Valencia in September when the Catalans won 6-0.
He has started all six league games since, scoring one (in a 1-4 defeat at Sevilla) and making an assist in four of them. The season is young but Rashford has been involved in more goals – assists or goals – than any other Barcelona player so far. But it’s in Europe where Rashford’s stats really stand out.
A man-of-the-match performance at Newcastle United saw him score two wondrous goals. He got two more on Tuesday as Barcelona put another six past the Greek champions who were down to 10 men for the final 35 minutes. Barcelona scored four goals in that time including both of Rashford’s.
The Mancunian is on loan until the end of the season, when Barcelona have an option to buy him for £30 million. He said this week that he wanted to stay at the club and that he “needed a change” after such a long stay at Old Trafford.
His United contract runs until 2028 though it’s unlikely he’ll play for the club again while Ruben Amorim remains in charge. For now, he is loving life at Barcelona who are likely to play at three different home stadiums this season, with the move back to a redeveloped Camp Nou put back five times since December 2024.
“Lots of players have lots of qualities but probably the standouts are Lamine Yamal. And, for me, Pedri is unbelievable,” Rashford told ESPN this week.
“I knew he was good before I played with him. But to play with him every day is unbelievable. His game understanding is clear. From when he first got into the first team here, his game understanding is one of the main strengths. Of course, his ability on the ball is clear to see.
“If I had to say one thing … His dribbling. It's not surprising, his ball retention is so good, he rarely loses the ball. To have him in the team is a huge positive. If Pedri is playing well, there is a high chance that the team will score lots of goals.”
Rashford is still learning to play with his new teammates but enjoying his time living by the beach close to Barcelona’s airport to the south of the city.
Sunday’s game is 600km to the south-west in the Spanish capital, first versus second, with Madrid on 24 points after nine games and champions Barca on 22, with a better goal difference. Third-placed Villarreal are already five points behind so it looks like another two-horse race in Spain.
The Clasico comes at the end of a week when fans and players protested against a La Liga game between Villarreal and Barcelona – which was set to take place in Miami in December – and got it shelved.
The first 15 seconds of every top-flight game last weekend wasn't played as footballers stood still, while Real Madrid, who strongly oppose league games being shipped abroad, complained to Spain’s higher Court Council.
The cancellation by the organisers was celebrated by football fans in Spain, but La Liga are determined to stage some flagship league matches abroad.
For this weekend, though, all eyes will be on the Bernabeu.
