Marcus Rashford has revealed the motivation behind his loan move to Barcelona from Manchester United in a front page interview with a Spanish newspaper, admitting he ‘needs to be happy’ to play his best football.
The 27-year-old forward left his boyhood club last month to join Barcelona on loan after being placed in Ruben Amorim’s five-man ‘bomb squad’ alongside former Red Devils team-mates Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia.
After making the switch to the Spanish giants, which crucially includes a buy option next summer, Rashford immediately admitted it was a ‘joy’ to join the club and claimed it is where ‘dreams come true’.
Despite being left to sweat over his short-term future amid Barcelona’s player eligibility crisis, Rashford was finally announced in the Catalans’ LaLiga squad for the upcoming season on Saturday, after club chiefs took emergency financial action to register their new summer signings.
And now, having featured off the bench during Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Mallorca on LaLiga’s opening weekend, Rashford has sat down with one of Spain’s leading newspapers Diario Sport to discuss how he is settling in at the Nou Camp.
Opening up on how he feels about the move just weeks after joining, Rashford said: ‘Very good. Everything is new and very good. I’m still adjusting, but yes, it’s a beautiful city. I’m looking forward to my time here.’
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The England forward went on to explain what happiness means to him, suggesting that the excitement to wake up and play football was not always there for him at Manchester United.
He added: ‘It simply means that when you wake up, you feel that excitement about starting the day. It’s a hard feeling to explain. But you know when you have it and when you don’t.
‘I need to be happy to play my best football. For me personally, football is my life. You know? It’s been my life since I was very, very young.
‘Actually, I don’t know anything else. So the bond I have, not only with my career but with sport in general, is huge and I don’t expect it to go away. But yes, it’s always good to be happy when you play football. It’s the reason I started in this.’
Rashford endured a testing couple of years at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag and latterly Amorim, who informed the forward he was no longer part of his plans at the start of the summer transfer window.
The England international netted just seven goals in 33 league games during the 2023-24 season, falling out of favour at Old Trafford before announcing his wish to leave in January and undertaking a fruitful short-term loan stint at Aston Villa.
After a tumultuous spell, Rashford admitted he is now ‘comfortable’ at Barcelona as he looks to get back to his very best in front of goal.
‘You never know for sure, but from the beginning I have felt comfortable (here). On the pitch, of course I’ll learn more with each game. But the starting point is very good,’ Rashford added.
‘The more matches that come, the more I’ll learn. Barca is the easiest place to enjoy and learn football.’
A key challenge for any footballer moving abroad is tackling the new language and culture – and Rashford has revealed that he has picked up a strange new nickname after trying to get to grips with Spanish.
‘When they are having fun with each other, they call me “sweetie”. I don’t know what that means, but it’s funny when they talk to you like that,’ he added.
‘Yes, they know I’m trying to learn Spanish. I think it’s important for me to learn as soon as possible. It’s stimulating. You’re always learning and that’s good.
‘Catalan is difficult. I suppose that while I’m here, I’ll learn a little and hope it will help me understand more about Catalan culture, which I also want to do.’
