From playing football in the kitchen, to escaping out of his bedroom window when he was grounded, Marcus Rashford has a lot of fond memories of his childhood home in Wythenshawe, Manchester. United’s bright young star takes a trip down memory lane with Jermaine Jenas for GQ Hype
The house he lived in as a child clearly means a lot to Marcus Rashford. You can tell from the way he reminisces about playing football on the kitchen tiles or from the tattoo of it that adorns the side of his abs, complete with a tiny version Rashford having a kickabout in the front garden. “I think the main message I always get from revisiting old places, old houses, old schools, is just remembering who you are and where you come from,” he explained to Jermaine Jenas on his GQ Hype cover shoot.
Having grown up Wythenshawe, a town in the south of Manchester, although his tremendous talent has taken United’s star player out of the area, Rashford still finds himself in the town frequently, visiting his friends and family who still live there. But that’s not the only reason he likes to take trips back down memory lane. “I think it’s good for the kids, because a lot of kids that grow up here, they can feel like they’re stuck in an environment where it’s difficult for them to make something of it,” he said. “And if I can be that example to them then I’d never miss that opportunity.”
Rashford hasn’t always been a shining example of how to behave, however. Laughing as Jenas probed him about his rebellious teenage behaviour, he revealed his secret escape route out of his bedroom window for when he was grounded. “I don’t know if my mum knows this… She knows now.”
Still, while he might not have always stuck by his mother’s rules when he was younger, the respect and love that he has for her is made clear throughout his conversation with Jenas. “A lot of hard work – my mum’s hard work – was put into this house,” he reflected, “so it’s a special place.”
While looking at his tattoo that was photographed outside the very same house, we can only agree. It is indeed a special place, because it is the place that was home to one of football’s brightest young stars. For Rashford, the sky is the limit, but this will always be home.
Read the full GQ Hype cover interview here.
Source: gq-magazine.co.uk
