Marcus Rashford becomes the first Englishman to play for Barcelona in over three decades

Marcus Rashford makes makes his debut for for FC Barcelona. (Image credits - Heute, License Details)

FC Barcelona announced the signing of Marcus Rashford on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy from Manchester United on Wednesday, and on Sunday, the Englishman made his debut for the La Liga champions.

With that, Rashford became the first British player to play for FC Barcelona in over three decades, the previous one being Gary Lineker, who made over 100 appearances for the Catalan giants.

Barça were determined to sign a left winger this summer, with their priority being Nico Williams. However, they had to switch to their "Plan B” after the Bilbao winger rejected making a move to Barcelona and instead decided to renew his contract with the Basque club.

As a result, Hansi Flick gave the green light to Marcus Rashford's move, with his experience at a young age and his sheer pace and quality in front of goal being the major deciding factors. The 27-year-old had been plotting this move since January and finally managed to achieve his dream.

The Englishman will aim to redeem his career with this huge opportunity and also target making a stunning return to the England national team squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup next year.

Upon securing his move, Rashford shared his excitement in an interview, stating, “I’m very excited. I think it’s a club every player wants to play for,” he told the club’s media. “They’ve made me feel at home in these first few hours; everyone has made me feel very comfortable.” (sic)

He further added that, “It’s simple: I want to win everything. I think this is the best place to win titles. It’s a very ambitious team, and I’ll try to help them however I can. I’ve always enjoyed watching good football. I think I’m going to enjoy playing here. It’s a family club, where great players play.” (sic)

FC Barcelona's new no. 14: Marcus Rashford aims to follow in the footsteps of two of the biggest icons of the game

Barcelona unveiled Marcus Rashford's kit number, which is the iconic no. 14. This kit has a huge significance in the club's rich history, as it was previously worn by Dutch mastermind Johan Cruyff and also by the 27-year-old’s idol, Thierry Henry.

There was speculation on whether he would don the no. 19 kit, which he had previously worn at Manchester United. However, the Englishmandecided to choose his idol’s shirt number as he aims to replicate his success at the club.

Apart from Cruyff, Ronald Koeman and Javier Mascherano have also worn this historic no. 14 kit, which already adds a lot of pressure on Rashford’s shoulders.