Rashford reunited with an old friend
The match this Thursday between Seoul and Barça (8pm KST, 1pm CEST) will be a special one for Marcus Rashford. Not only will it be the English striker’s second appearance in a Barça shirt, but he will also be reunited with a familiar face on the opposing side. He and Jesse Lingard were both part of the Manchester United academy and forming an attacking partnership in the first team for several years.
Seven seasons together
Rashford and Lingard played together for seven seasons at Manchester United, from 2015/16 to 2021/22. During that time, they developed a strong friendship, as well as winning four trophies together: one FA Cup in 2016, one League Cup in 2017¡, the Community Shield in 2016, and most importantly the Europa League in 2016/17.
They also played together in the England national team, forming part of the forward line at the 2018 World Cup, where they helped take the team to the semi-finals. Between Manchester United and England, they shared nearly 200 call-ups.
Soul to Seoul
Now, this Thursday, Rashford, aged 27, and Lingard, 32, will meet again on the pitch in Barça’s second match of their Asian tour. This time, however, they’ll be on opposing sides — Rashford playing for the Catalans and Lingard for the Koreans, who he joined in February of this year.