FC Barcelona was holding its breath before a hot Clasico this Sunday. Faced with a Real Madrid in crisis and with an incandescent Camp Nou, Barça had the opportunity to go back-to-back in La Liga if they succeeded against their sworn enemy. In the absence of Lamine Yamal, Hansi Flick made the strong choice to start Marcus Rashford on the right wing rather than Roony Bardghji. And the Englishman rewarded this confidence in a resounding way. From a tricky position for a right-hander, he sent a free kick straight into Courtois’ top corner to open the scoring and put the Blaugranas on the path to their second championship in a row.
A goal which will remain engraved in memories, and which is part of a very honorable season for the player on loan from Manchester United who now has 14 goals and 12 assists in 48 matches, including several decisive achievements in major events. Author of a rather interesting match despite a slight waste at times, Barça’s number 14 met the expectations placed on him and was one of the most decisive players in the quest for this title this Sunday. A few months ago, Rashford was suffocating in Manchester. Relegated to the bench and removed from the group by Ruben Amorim, his career took an unpleasant turn. His time at Barcelona changed everything.
“If I were a magician, I would stay at Barça”
With playing time, confidence and a team built to perform, Rashford has clearly found color and won, at the age of 28, the first championship of his career. Questioned by the BBC after the final whistle, Rashford savored the moment with humility. On his masterpiece of the evening, he confided: “the free kick? I wasn’t going to shoot it. I couldn’t see the angle and didn’t know where to aim, but everyone encouraged me to shoot it, which gave me confidence. In the end, it was a superb goal.» Beyond this wonderful goal, it was above all his future that was in question. As a reminder, on loan from United, the number 14 of CulĂ©s has a purchase clause of 30 million euros.
While the Catalan press has been explaining for months that Barça has started to study additional avenues, the person concerned has not closed the door, far from it. “I don’t know if I’ll stay… if I were a magician, I would stay», he slipped with a mischievous smile. Before going any further: “I came to Barcelona to win and my intention is to continue winning. The team is incredible. She is going to win many titles in the future and to be able to be part of it would be an honor. We’ll see.»The message is addressed to Barça. The ball is now in Joan Laporta’s court.
