Marcus Rashford was only five-years-old when he went to his first live game and witnessed a Brazilian striker confound his beloved Manchester United’s defence in a performance that would forever stay with the eventual England forward.
Rashford was too young to recall vividly as Real Madrid lost 4-3 on the night but Ronaldo’s goals took them through on aggregate but a boy was mesmerised and would always try to emulate the great forward as he developed through Fletcher Moss Rangers — who he joined that same year — and then Manchester United’s academy two years later.
Encouraged by his older brother Dwaine, now Rashford’ s agent, Rashford studied videos of the Brazilian striker and modelled his game accordingly, but it was those goals on that crisp evening that planted seeds that have blossomed into Rashford’s game: that speed of dribble, the ability to run at defenders full pelt and keep the ball away from them at all costs.
Marcus Rashford was in attendance as Ronaldo tore Manchester United apart in 2003
Add a more reliable, consistent finish and Rashford will go some way to merely trying to replicate his idol.
For the first goal that April evening in 2003 Ronaldo sprinted off Rio Ferdinand’s shoulder with his Cheetah’s pace and sent a bouncing ball bouncing into Fabien Barthez’s near post.
For the second, which virtually secured Real’s progression, the finish was simple but when he tapped in Roberto Carlos’s pass he had lost two opponents six yards from goal.
The third was the best: carrying the ball from midway in United’s half and unleashing from 25 yards. Ronaldo, 27 at the time, was already being described as past his best due to injuries and carrying those few extra timbers that became a feature at his career’s end.
Young United fan Rashford soon grew to idolise the Brazilian and want to become just like him
‘[I’ve watched] all those clips on YouTube and my first ever game that I saw live, he was playing in it,’ Rashford recalled.
‘It was at Old Trafford and I always remember it. It was in 2003. He scored a hat-trick. I was only young though. He was my brother’s favourite player, that’s why I’ve grown up watching so much of him and his games.’
The transition from watching to playing has been seamless for Rashford. ‘You do that naturally,’ he said. ‘When you’re young you watch clips of the best players in the world and try and emulate them, so it just tends to happen naturally.’
Ronaldo, a World Cup winner in 1994 and 2002, has admitted that he sees shades of himself in the United forward.
The legendary striker himself has admitted he sees parallels between Rashford and himself
‘I see some of myself in him for sure — he has courage and he’s fast and is very good with the ball,’ the Brazilian said. ‘I think for the strikers they have to be hungry to score and I see that with him.’
And there are parallels in their careers: Ronaldo was 21 when he took the 1998 World Cup by storm, voted the tournament’s best player even though Brazil lost in the final, while Rashford will be just shy of that age at the Russia World Cup next summer.
‘He was obviously a top player who won a lot of things in his career,’ Rashford said, ‘so when you know he’s saying good things about you then it really stands out.’ If Rashford wants to really stand out; his time is now.