Marcus Rashford enjoyed a scoring cameo from the bench as England beat Croatia, and the future of the forward is under scrutiny following a year on loan at Barcelona
England’s World Cup win against Croatia gave the Spanish media plenty to chew on when it came to Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon. Barcelona had Rashford on loan from Manchester United last season but opted to let their option for a permanent move expire after spending big on his Three Lions team-mate Gordon.
The pair had a mixed start to their respective World Cup campaigns. Gordon started against Croatia but failed to fully leave his mark on the game, while Rashford impressed in a cameo from the bench and scored a late clincher in a 4-2 victory.
This didn’t escape the attention of newspapers across Spain. If there weren’t already questions about whether Barca signed the right Englishman, there are now.
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After the Catalan club’s decision, Manchester United could find themselves in line for more money or a chance to get the best out of their player this season. Here’s what the Spanish media said.
Sport
Sport pointed out that Rashford’s fine start was in contrast to most of the Barcelona players at this summer’s World Cup. “The Manchester United loanee was the only Barcelona player to make a difference, scoring a goal to seal a 4-2 victory for England against Croatia,” they wrote.
Elsewhere there were some positive signs from Frenkie de Jong for the Netherlands while Sport didn’t criticise Gordon for his part in England’s win but there was a sense of their being more to come from the Barca contingent. “Although none of them lost in their World Cup debut, the first day was not brilliant for Hansi Flick’s boys, who will be looking to increase their prominence in the second round,” they added.
MisterChip
Stats-led account MisterChip pointed out quite how momentous an occasion Wednesday night was. “He becomes the first FC Barcelona player to score in the 2026 World Cup. He is also the FIRST Barca player to score for England in the entire history of the World Cup,” they wrote of Rashford.
A number of comments questioned the post, suggesting Rashford was a Barcelona player in name only after the failure to exercise the clause. For those wondering, by the way, Gary Lineker joined Barcelona in the 1986 close-season but didn’t play for the club until after his World Cup goals for England, perhaps explaining the wording of the post.
AS
There was a closer comparison between Gordon and Rashford in AS’ write-up. “[The situation] allowed Tuchel to rotate: Gordon, who was ineffective, was out; Rashford came in,” the report said.
“The new Barcelona signing didn’t stand out, neither for better nor for worse. He still has time for that. In his debut, with so many eyes on him, he couldn’t show his full potential. Not so [Rashford]. From a Saka pass, and with two cuts in the box, he finished the game with the fourth and final goal.”
The same publication was particularly glowing in its assessment of another Spain-based star, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham. “The heir becomes king” was their headline, pointing to the way Bellingham outshone former Madrid star Luka Modric on the night.
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