Marcus Rashford has responded extensively for the first time to the lost European Championship final with England. The 23-year-old attacker, who shot his penalty against Italy (1-1) on the post, apologizes for his miss. Rashford also addresses the racist abuse he and some of his teammates have been subjected to on social media. “I don’t even know where to start or how to describe how I feel right now,” Rashford wrote on his Twitter account.
“I’ve had a difficult season, I think everyone has been able to see that,” says the attacker, who had to make do with substitutes at the European Championship. “Probably I went into that final with a lack of confidence. I never ran away from taking a penalty, but something didn’t feel right. During the long run I tried to take some extra time for myself and unfortunately the result was not like I wanted.”
In Withington, his hometown, a mural depicting Rashford was defaced by vandals. Local residents taped off the graffiti and placed statements of support over it.
“I felt like I had let my teammates down,” he continues. “A penalty kick was all the team asked of me to contribute. I can score penalties in my sleep, so why not this one? It’s been playing over and over in my head since I hit that ball and there’s probably no word on it to describe what it feels like Final 55 years (after the 1966 World Cup win, ed.) 1 penalty History All I can say is sorry I wish it had gone differently While my apologies remain, “I want to thank my teammates. A brotherhood has been formed and it is unbreakable. Your success is my success. Your failures are mine.”
Afterwards, Rashford faced racist insults on the internet. “I grew up in a sport where I’m used to reading things about myself,” says the Englishman. “Whether it’s the color of my skin, where I grew up, or more recently, how I spend my time off the pitch. I can handle all the criticism I get about my performance, my penalty wasn’t good enough, it should have been in it, but I will never apologize for who I am and where I come from. I have never felt more proud than when I wore the three lions (the symbol of England, ed.) on my chest, while my family cheered me on from the stands.”
— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) July 12, 2021
In Withington, his hometown, a mural depicting Rashford was defaced by vandals. Local residents taped off the graffiti and placed statements of support over it. “The messages I have received have been overwhelming and the response in Withington brought me to the brink of tears,” Rashford said. “The community that has always supported me continues to do so. I am Marcus Rashford, 23 years old, a black man from Withington & Wythenshawe, South Manchester. If I have nothing else then I have. Thanks for all the kind messages. I’ll come back stronger. We’ll come back stronger.”