Career Timeline of Marcus Rashford: Major Achievements and Milestones
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Marcus Rashford made an impact.
Marcus Rashford is an English professional footballer renowned for his role as a forward. He currently plays for Manchester United and the England national team. Beyond his athletic achievements, Rashford is also recognized for his activism, particularly his efforts to combat child poverty in the UK, which led to significant government policy changes and earned him widespread admiration. His contributions extend beyond the football pitch, establishing him as a prominent public figure.
1987: Aston Villa Relegation
On 16 April 2016, Marcus Rashford scored the only goal of the game against Aston Villa, who were subsequently relegated for the first time since 1987.
1998: Scoring Against Barcelona
On 16 February 2023, Rashford became the third United player – after Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke in 1998 – to score against Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
1999: Rashford's hat-trick
In October 2020, Rashford scored his first United hat-trick. It was the second hat-trick ever scored by a United substitute, following manager Solskjær in the Premier League in 1999.
2012: Manchester United under-15 squad
In 2012, Marcus Rashford was part of the Manchester United under-15 squad which finished second in the 23rd annual Marveld tournament.
2012: First United player since Robin van Persie
In May 2023, Rashford scored his 30th goal of the season, the first United player to reach the milestone since Robin van Persie in the 2012–13 season. At the end of the season, he was voted as the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year and the Players' Player of the Year.
2012: Team won Manchester derby
On 20 March 2016, Marcus Rashford team had its first away league win over Manchester City since 2012.
2012: First time since 2012-13 season
On January 12, 2021, Rashford assisted a goal against Burnley which resulted in United being top of the table for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
2013: Trained with United's first team
During the 2013–14 season, Marcus Rashford trained with Manchester United's first team under the management of David Moyes for the first time at age 16.
2014: First Since Robin van Persie
In October 2020, Rashford became the first United player to score a Champions League hat-trick since Robin van Persie in 2014.
2015: Praised by Nicky Butt
In 2015, Marcus Rashford's performances for the Manchester United Under-19s were praised by manager Nicky Butt in the UEFA Youth League group stage match. He scored six goals in 11 games in the Under-18's Premier League, as well as three goals in the Youth League.
February 2016: First-Team and European Debut
In February 2016, 18-year-old Marcus Rashford made his first-team debut for Manchester United, scoring twice against Midtjylland in the UEFA Europa League.
February 2016: Loan Bid from Crewe Alexandra Rejected
In February 2016, League One club Crewe Alexandra made a loan bid for Marcus Rashford, but the temporary transfer was rejected by Reserves manager Warren Joyce.
February 2016: UEFA Europa League Debut and Premier League Debut
On 25 February 2016, Marcus Rashford debuted for Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League against Midtjylland, scoring two goals. Three days later, he made his Premier League debut against Arsenal, scoring twice and providing an assist in a 3–2 victory.
March 2016: Manchester Derby Goal
On 20 March 2016, Marcus Rashford scored the only goal in the Manchester derby, becoming the youngest scorer in the fixture in the Premier League era.
April 2016: Hodgson's squad selection
In April 2016, England manager Roy Hodgson initially deemed it "unlikely" that Rashford would be included in his tournament squad, but on 16 May, he named him in his preliminary 26-man squad for the tournament.
May 2016: England Debut
In May 2016, Marcus Rashford scored on his England debut, becoming the youngest English player to score in his first senior international match.
May 2016: Debut for England
On 27 May 2016, the 18-year-old Rashford made his debut for England wearing the number nine shirt, starting a warm-up match against Australia at the Stadium of Light and scoring the opening goal of a 2–1 win after three minutes.
August 2016: Called up to England Under-21 Team
In August 2016, despite having already made his senior debut earlier in the year, Rashford was called up to the England under-21 team for the first time for a fixture in September against Norway under-21s.
August 2016: First Goal of the Season
On 27 August 2016, Marcus Rashford scored his first goal of the season against Hull City in injury time.
2016: Senior Squad and New Manager
For the 2016–17 season, Marcus Rashford was given the number 19 shirt by new manager José Mourinho, marking his place as part of the senior squad.
January 2017: FA Cup Brace Against Reading
On 7 January 2017, Marcus Rashford scored two goals in the FA Cup against Reading.
February 2017: EFL Cup Victory
On 26 February 2017, Marcus Rashford won his third trophy in the EFL Cup final, with Manchester United defeating Southampton 3-2.
August 2017: UEFA Super Cup and First Goal
In August 2017, Marcus Rashford made an appearance in the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid. He then scored his first goal of the season on 26 August against Leicester City.
March 2018: Goals Against Liverpool
On 10 March 2018, Marcus Rashford scored both goals in a 2–1 win over rivals Liverpool on his first Premier League start of the year.
June 2018: Warm-up Match Against Costa Rica
In June 2018, Rashford scored the opening goal of England's final warm-up match against Costa Rica on 7 June.
December 2018: Rashford's assists and goals in December 2018
In December 2018, Marcus Rashford provided assists in a 2–2 draw with Southampton on 1 December, and in a 4-1 victory against Fulham, he scored against Cardiff City on 22 December in Manchester United's first match under Ole Gunnar Solskjær, and against Bournemouth on 30 December, also assisting Paul Pogba's first goal. Solskjær praised Rashford's performance during the beginning of his reign.
January 2019: Rashford's Achievements in January 2019
In January 2019, Rashford scored against Tottenham Hotspur on 13 January, marking his first time scoring in three successive league games. On 20 January, he made his 150th appearance for the club against Brighton & Hove Albion. On 2 February, Rashford was announced as Manchester United's Player of the Month for January 2019, and won United's goal of the month for his strike against Tottenham. On 3 February, he made his 100th league appearance for the club against Leicester City. Rashford won his first Premier League Player of the Month title.
June 2019: Nations League Semi-Final
In June 2019, during the Nations League semi-final, Rashford scored the opening goal of the game against the Netherlands, however England lost 3–1 in extra time.
July 2019: Rashford's New Contract in July 2019
On 1 July 2019, Rashford signed a new four-year contract with Manchester United, keeping him at the club until June 2023. He also scored a brace in a 4-0 win over Chelsea.
2019: Rashford's performance in 2019
In 2019, during United's first match on 2 January, Rashford assisted their first goal from a free kick and scored the second in a 2–0 win over Newcastle United. Pundit Gary Neville praised Rashford for playing beyond his potential.
April 2020: Signs with Roc Nation
In April 2020, Rashford signed with Jay-Z's entertainment agency, Roc Nation, due to his charity work.
September 2020: Rashford's First Goal of the Season in September 2020
In September 2020, Rashford scored his first goal of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion on 26 September.
October 2020: Rashford Questions Universal Credit Increase
In October 2020, Rashford questioned Rishi Sunak about a permanent £20 increase in Universal Credit, concerned about families "counting down the days" to its reversal. Rashford's team told The Times that the £1,040 annual increase was the "missing piece" in their strategy.
November 2020: Government Funding for Food and Household Bills
In November 2020, the government announced it would provide nearly £400m over 12 months to support food and household bills for poor families due to Rashford's campaign. Also in November 2020, Alex Ferguson and Michael Moritz pledged to double donations to Rashford's Christmas fundraising appeal with The Times, which raised over £2.7 million by January.
2020: Contract Extension
On 30 May 2016, Marcus Rashford signed a new contract with Manchester United that would keep him at the club until 2020, with an option to extend for a further year.
January 2021: Rashford Assisted Goal Against Burnley
In January 2021, Rashford assisted a goal for Paul Pogba against Burnley on 12 January, resulting in United being top of the table for the first time since the 2012–13 season.
January 2021: Rashford Highlights Unacceptable Food Packages
In January 2021, Rashford used his Twitter to highlight "unacceptable" food packages from supplier Chartwells. After a conversation, Johnson was pressured to review the situation. During Prime Minister's Questions on January 13, Johnson credited Rashford as more effective opposition than Keir Starmer.
April 2021: Launch of Recipes and Online Video Lessons
In April 2021, Rashford and chef Tom Kerridge launched recipes and online video lessons on Instagram and recipe cards in supermarkets, schools, and food banks. The purpose was to provide cheap, simple recipes like spaghetti bolognese and fish finger sandwiches so that people could cook at home and avoid going to bed hungry.
April 2021: Launch of Book Club
In April 2021, Rashford's book club, in partnership with Macmillan Publishers, was formally launched with the intention of freely distributing 50,000 books to vulnerable and underprivileged children.
June 2021: Captained England for the First Time
On 6 June 2021, Rashford captained England for the first time, converting a penalty in a 1–0 win against Romania.
July 2021: Euro 2020 Final
In the final against Italy on 11 July 2021, Rashford was brought on as a substitute in the final minutes of extra time and was chosen to take the team's third penalty during the subsequent shoot-out but his effort hit the post and went wide, and Italy went on to win the tournament after saving two more penalties. After the loss, Rashford was subjected to racially abusive messages on social media, and a street mural honouring him in Withington was vandalised.
October 2021: Honorary Doctorate Ceremony and Universal Credit Withdrawal
In October 2021, Rashford attended the honorary doctorate ceremony (delayed due to COVID-19). Dame Nancy Rothwell praised his community sense. In his speech, he noted it was bittersweet, as it was the day after the government withdrew the £20/week Universal Credit increase introduced in April 2020.
October 2021: Rashford's Return and Goalscoring
In October 2021, Rashford returned to training on 11 October, and scored in a 4–2 loss to Leicester.
November 2021: Withdrawal from England Squad
In November 2021, after undergoing surgery on his shoulder, Rashford returned to the England squad for World Cup qualification games against Albania and San Marino, before being forced to withdraw due to illness.
January 2022: Rashford's Winner against West Ham
On 22 January 2022, Rashford scored a 93rd-minute winner against West Ham United, becoming the player with the most last-minute winners in Premier League history.
March 2022: Omission From England Squad
Due to a drop in form for United during the 2021–22 season, Rashford was not called up to the England squad for March 2022 friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast.
October 2022: Rashford's 100th Goal for United
On 30 October 2022, Rashford scored his 100th United goal in a 1–0 win against West Ham, becoming the 22nd player to reach the figure for United.
2022: 2022 FIFA World Cup
Despite not appearing for England since the final of the European Championships, Rashford was named in Southgate's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. In England's opening game of the group stage, a 6–2 win over Iran, Rashford came on as a second-half substitute and scored within a minute of coming on, making the score 5–1. In England's final group game, Rashford scored two goals in a 3–0 win against Wales to qualify for the knockout stage.
January 2023: Rashford's Goal in Manchester Derby
On 14 January 2023, Rashford scored the winning goal in United's 2–1 comeback win in the Manchester derby.
June 2023: Contract end date
Rashford signed a contract on July 1 2019, keeping him at the club until June 2023.
July 2023: Rashford Signed New Contract
On 18 July 2023, Rashford signed a new contract with Manchester United until 2028.
October 2024: Dismissal of Ten Hag
Ten Hag was dismissed by United on 29 October 2024.
2024: Rashford loaned out to Aston Villa
In February 2025, Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
February 2025: Rashford Joins Aston Villa on Loan
On 2 February 2025, Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan for the remainder of the 2024–25 season. He made his debut for Villa on 9 February.
May 2025: Rashford on Transfer List
In May 2025, Manchester United put Rashford on the transfer list ahead of the 2025–26 season.
2028: Contract end
On 18 July 2023, Rashford signed a new contract with Manchester United until 2028.
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