‘All I had were my dreams’: Marcus Rashford takes centre stage in edgy new cover shoot as he reflects on his tough upbringing and desire to feed EVERY underprivileged child
Manchester United ace Marcus Rashford has stepped out of his comfort zone for an edgy new shoot on behalf of Dazed magazine.
The striker, who is expected to represent his country at the delayed European Championships this summer, traded his United red for a series of bold outfits from English heritage brand Burberry.
In an accompanying interview, Rashford, 23, reflected on his tough start in the underprivileged Manchester suburb of Wythenshawe and his desire to help children from his local community follow their dreams.
New look: Manchester United ace Marcus Rashford has stepped out of his comfort zone for an edgy new shoot on behalf of Dazed magazine
He said: ‘I don’t want children there to see me as “Marcus Rashford of Manchester United”, I want them to see me as Marcus. Marcus who lived “there”, learned his craft on “that” patch of grass and is now representing his country at the highest level.
‘It’s so important that they see that I had a dream, and my dream came true. We have to encourage these children to dream, because unfortunately sometimes dreams are all they have.’
He added: ‘I remember forcing myself to sleep as a child, just so the feeling of hunger would go away. All I had were my dreams, my escape.’
On the ball: Rashford is best known for his goal-scoring exploits with Manchester United
All change: But the striker has traded his United red for a series of bold outfits from English heritage brand Burberry
Speaking out: In an accompanying interview, Rashford reflected on his tough start in the Manchester suburb of Wythenshawe and his desire to help children from his local community
Rashford prepares for what could be a busy summer after successfully leading an initiative to provide deprived children with free school meals, part of an ongoing drive to end child poverty.
He is now keen to build on that victory by launching a new literacy project with Macmillan Children’s Books.
‘They need to see themselves in books. To be represented,’ he said. ‘People often ask me about my “highlights” or “greatest achievements”, but it’s really hard to pinpoint a particular moment because, to me, they’ve been stepping-stones.
Main man: The footballer modelled a range of distinctive outfits during his latest shoot
Looking good: The England ace wears a distinctive collarless shirt from the Burberry brand
‘There’s a lot more to be done. I haven’t seen success until there is no child in the United Kingdom going to bed hungry.’
Posing for a new cover shoot, Rashford – who says he has visited Wythenshawe least once a week since becoming a professional footballer – wears a range of Burberry outfits, among them heavily embellished dungarees.
The England ace also models a distinctive collarless shirt from the brand, as well as a smart oversized shirt and matching white trousers.
The full interview is available in the latest issue of Dazed, on sale from May 27th.
Goals: ‘There’s a lot more to be done. I haven’t seen success until there is no child in the United Kingdom going to bed hungry, Rashford said of his desire to help underprivileged children
Read all about it: The full interview is available in the latest issue of Dazed, on sale from May 27th