Marcus Rashford’s scintillating Sunday as a Manchester United player became even better in the evening as he collected an individual honour at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony, scooping the 2020 Expert Panel Award.
Fresh from helping the Reds to beat Leeds United 6-2 in the Premier League, our no.10 travelled the short distance from Old Trafford to MediaCity in Salford, where he was welcomed on stage at the annual BBC event by former England striker Gary Lineker and his fellow presenter Gabby Logan.
“What a player, on and off the pitch,” said Lineker, before inviting Marcus to explain his motivation, for the vital work he has done to combat food poverty this year.
“It all started when I was growing up as a kid,” said the Reds forward.
“I feel like [in my career], if it was a 100 metres race, I started 50 metres behind everybody else. It was more difficult for me to do the basic things like get to training and eat the right food. It was a nightmare of a situation but, in the end, I got to where I needed to get to.
Once I got there, I’ve always had this thing that eats at me, saying ‘make sure you make a difference for the next generation.’ I think, as a country, we should always protect them as much as we can and give them the best chance in life at becoming whatever they want to become.
“For me, everything that I get for doing what I have done will sit in my mum’s house and be where she can see it every day because she’s the person who, in difficult circumstances, brought me up to become a person that has morals. My friends will tell you that I’ve not changed at all since they remember me as a kid.”
When asked by Logan whether he expected his passionate social media message about food poverty, posted in March this year, to have such an impact and affect government policy, Marcus modestly replied: “I didn’t expect it. To be honest, it was something that I tried a few years ago in Manchester. It was helping a lot of people, a lot of children, in Manchester but I wasn’t satisfied with the reach it was having.
”A few years later, I was speaking to my brothers and my mum – I was injured at the time – and I just said to them, ‘I’m going to have another go at it.’ Then we did but what has happened since then we didn’t expect.“
Congratulations, Marcus, on your latest award, from everyone at Manchester United. What a year @MarcusRashford has had.
He’s been recognised with a special award at tonight’s Sports Personality of the Year awards.