Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has cited Raheem Sterling as the footballer who inspired him to always speak up when things are not going right.
Raheem Sterling is one of the senior players in the England national team. The 25-year-old Manchester City striker is known to be very outspoken especially when it comes to racial abuse on and off the football field.
The England international has been a victim of racial abuse a couple of times especially on social media and he is never shy away from talking about it. At the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States and the United Kingdom, Raheem Sterling was one of the prominent Premier League footballers who supported the movement as openly as possible.
On the part of Marcus Rashford, the 23-year-old left-winger has shown great signs that he has taken after Sterling in speaking up against any form of discrimination. As the Manchester City star is known for fighting racism in football, Rashford has been enjoying a series of accolades for his drive to raise funds to feed school children in the UK.
More so, the Manchester United star has consistently advocated for the government to come up with policies to ensure that hunger among Children is eradicated in the country. His personality and commitment to the movement have attracted football clubs, individuals and organizations to support his drive to eradicate hunger among children.
One of Rashford’s efforts that have earned him more accolades was his decision to use his platform to consistently urge the government not to stop the free school feeding policy during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. He successfully convinced the government to make a u-turn and continued the policy.
Despite the high praises, Marcus Rashford has been getting for his drive to eradicate hunger among school children, the Manchester United star wants the world to know that Sterling has been the source of such inspiration.
While featuring in the first episode of the FA’s Black, England, and Proud series, made in partnership with Refresh Productions and Facebook, Rashford was asked to mention the black footballer that inspired him. He mentioned Sterling for always “speaking about the issues that he has faced”.
“For me, Raheem showed me if you’re not happy about something say it and make people aware of it”, Rashford said. “It’s not a crime to tell people what you think, it’s probably the biggest thing that sparked change for me.”
His journey on the pitch has been impressive. His efforts off it have been remarkable.
— England (@England) November 6, 2020
In the first of a new series, @MarcusRashford joins @sidemanallday to talk about life growing up, his free school meals campaign and what it means to represent the #ThreeLions.
