Marcus Rashford’s Lesson in Greatness
With no warning, an 18-year-old was thrust into the middle of a do-or-die game. He went on to become one of the most dominant players in the world.
The second season of our show Greatness Code debuted last week on Apple TV+ featuring athletes like Russell Wilson, Lindsey Vonn, and Bubba Wallace discussing the stories behind the greatest moments in their career. It’s one of my favorite projects that we’ve made at ROS, because each episode is not just a recounting of an athletic triumph. Each one provides kernels of wisdom, a guide to a better life.
So in this week’s newsletter, I wanted to share one of this season’s stories, to give you a taste of what the series is all about. This episode covers Marcus Rashford, the Manchester United star, who made his debut and showed everyone what it means to rise to the moment.
Marcus Rashford’s journey to becoming one of the best strikers in soccer started when he was five years old. That’s when a Manchester United scout, watching a U6 (!!) game, noticed how completely Rashford dominated the other kids. Maybe that was because Rashford learned to play against his older brother and their friends. Maybe he was the only one who truly understood the rules. Maybe he just had that special something.
Whatever the reason, that scout approached the Rashford family after the game. He asked if their son would be interested in joining the Red Devils’ academy. They said yes—and then the climb began: Youth squads, field trips to Old Trafford, the move away from home at 11. U14. U16. U18. In 2015, Rashford was 17 when Louis Van Gaal, United’s manager, approached him at training. “You’re almost ready,” Van Gaal said, and seemingly every time the manager spoke to the young striker afterwards, he had a similar message. Almost, almost, almost. Rashford had always been confident, but those meetings left him confused. “How will he know when I’m ready?” Rashford thought. How would Rashford himself know? The question turned in his head. He’d been working towards the moment—no exaggeration—for his entire life, just waiting for it to arrive. And now—almost. Would he seize that chance when almost finally arrived?
Fast forward a few uncertain months to February when United faced a string of bad luck. Four of the team’s forwards went down with injuries. “These things don’t happen,” remembers Rashford of United’s bad luck. The team was desperate heading into their Europa League game against Danish side FC Midtjylland; they needed to win by two goals to avoid an embarrassing early round exit.
That’s when Rashford got the call. He’d join the senior club for the game, because they needed extra bodies more than anything. He figured that maybe he’d come on in the final moments as a substitute. Before the game, Rashford absorbed the atmosphere. He looked in the stands, and there were old neighbors, old teammates, friends, and family—all there, cheering his name. “I was just taking all that in,” he said.
And that’s when, in warmups, the starting forward pulled up with an injury as well. Van Gaal walked up to Rashford and tossed him a bib designating him as a starter. “He didn’t actually say anything to me,” Rashford said. “He just threw me a bib.”
Rashford had dreamed of this moment for years, waiting for it, fretting over it. He had always wondered what it would feel like, how he would know it had arrived. What he discovered was a surprising calmness. “That’s when I knew I was ready,” Rashford explains. “When he did hand me the bib, there was nothing but excitement. There were no nerves, no ‘what if I’m not good enough?’ It was just, ‘Let me show everyone what I can do.’”
Rashford couldn’t capitalize on opportunities in the first half, and in the locker room, Van Gaal looked towards the youngster. “You’re doing too much,” he said. “Stay between the width of the goals.” In other words: keep it simple. Put yourself in the best position to seize opportunity, and when it comes…
Rashford buried a goal in the 62nd minute. He stayed between the posts even after that, and added another one ten minutes later. He finished his debut with two goals that pushed his club to the next round of a European tournament. As the announcer declared, “Marcus Rashford! He couldn’t have even dreamed that last night!”
Rashford was ready for his moment after all, and his is a story that all of us can learn from. You can worry about something for years, but there’s no way to predict when you’ll be tossed a bib and asked to perform. All you can do is keep yourself ready, and when that moment arrives, just keep your focus between the goals. Keep it simple. Trust yourself. Breathe.
Because you might be more prepared than you ever could have imagined.
⚾ This feels appropriate given the main story today. When Cubs prospect Chris Morel got called up to the big leagues earlier this week, he told catcher Willson Contreras that he was going to smack a home run in his first at-bat. Watch to see if he lived up to his word.
⛳ The PGA Championship is underway in…Tulsa? The Athletic has collected the hard-to-believe stories of Southern Hills, the course hosting the tournament. Fair warning: they involve naked hippies, Whitey Bulger, and a mysterious wedge.
🏃♂️ Meet Erriyon Knighton, the high school senior from Tampa who’s already faster than Usain Bolt.
⏰ That’s not the only American track prodigy. Gary Martin, a senior from Pennsylvania, just became the first high schooler to run a sub-four minute mile since…1965.
🎁 Finally, here’s some good news this week. An 11-year-old Yankees fan lost his baseball card collection. When his mom asked for help finding it, boxes and boxes of memorabilia started arriving at their house—including one unbelievable gift.
