Marcus Rashford poses with an F.C. Barcelona jersey during his presentation as a new signing in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Republished July 23, 2025 - 12:53 PM
Original Publication Date July 23, 2025 - 10:16 AM
Marcus Rashford has been given the chance to revive his career at Barcelona with a season-long loan move from Manchester United announced Wednesday.
The England forward, once considered among Europe’s top talents, has seen his career stall after falling out of favor at United and ending last season on loan at Aston Villa.
The 27-year-old Rashford will join a Barcelona attack that includes young star Lamine Yamal, Brazil international Raphinha and veteran striker Robert Lewandowski.
“Barça is a place where dreams come true. Here good players can enjoy the game ,and I really love football,” Rashford said. "I am looking forward to helping and I want to win trophies. One of the reasons I came is that motivation and the ambition to be a better player.”
Rashford had arrived in Barcelona on Sunday to sign his contract. He had already met his teammates and reportedly trained with the group on Tuesday.
“I am really grateful for the welcome that the fans have given me and I can’t wait to make my debut in the jersey,” said Rashford, who will wear the No. 14 jersey with the Catalan club.
Financial details were not immediately disclosed. Spanish media said the agreement with United would give Barcelona an option to buy Rashford for about 30 million euros ($35 million).
Spanish champion Barcelona had looked set to sign Spain forward Nico Williams this offseason until he agreed a 10-year deal to stay at Athletic Bilbao earlier this month. That opened the door for Rashford to make the switch.
Potent attack
Barcelona had the best attack in Spanish soccer and one of the most prolific across Europe last season, but had been trying to add another piece to the front line to go along with Yamal, Raphinha and Lewandowski.
The trio helped the club score 102 goals as it won the Spanish league title, 24 goals more than runner-up Real Madrid. The Catalan club also led the Champions League in goals with 43, five more than champion Paris Saint-Germain, before being eliminated by Inter Milan in the semifinals.
Rashford is the third signing for the Barcelona squad coached by Hansi Flick ahead of the new season. The club had added goalkeeper Joan García from city rival Espanyol and winger Roony Bardghji from Copenhagen.
Barcelona was optimistic it will be able to register the new players despite struggling to meet financial fair play rules in recent years. Last season, it was in danger of not being able to register Dani Olmo because of salary-cap rules. The club already made some cap room for next season thanks to the departure of Pablo Torre, Ansu Fati and Clement Lenglet.
What went wrong at United?
Rashford had progressed through United's famed academy that produced greats like Ryan Giggs and David Beckham. He made 429 appearances, scored 138 goals and helped United win five major trophies, including two FA Cups and the Europa League.
But he struggled to consistently live up to the hype that surrounded him when he burst onto the scene as a teenager in 2016 — only managing 20 goals or more in three seasons. In his last two seasons at United he scored a combined 15 goals and added another four in 17 games on loan at Villa.
But Rashford's ability has rarely been called into question and he recently earned a recall to the England squad under new coach Thomas Tuchel, putting him in contention for next year's World Cup.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
News from © The Associated Press, 2025