Marcus Rashford is adjusting to life in Spain after his loan move from Manchester United to Barcelona this summer, and he has opened up on the strange nickname given to him by his new team-mates
Marcus Rashford has been dubbed “sweetie” by his new Barcelona team-mates following his summer loan switch from Manchester United. The England forward made the move to the Catalan giants after falling out of favour under Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim and spending the latter part of last season on loan at Aston Villa.
The 27-year-old has now lifted the lid on settling into life in Spain, revealing the amusing nickname his new colleagues have given him in an interview with Spanish publication SPORT. “When they’re having fun with each other, they call me ‘sweetie’,” Rashford said.
“I don’t know what it means, but it’s funny when they talk to you like that [laughs]. Yeah, yeah, they know I’m trying to learn Spanish. I think it’s important for me to learn as soon as possible. So it’s stimulating. You’re always learning, and that’s good.”
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When quizzed about whether he’d tried picking up any Catalan – the main language spoken in Barcelona’s changing room – he said: “Catalan is difficult. I suppose that while I’m here, I’ll learn a little and hope it will help me understand more about Catalan culture, which I also want to do.”
Rashford made his competitive bow for Barca on Saturday against Mallorca. The striker came on for ex-Manchester City ace Ferran Torres during the second period as Hansi Flick’s men secured a 3-0 win.
Rashford then showed off his Spanish skills on social media afterwards as he posted a snap of himself celebrating with Lamine Yamal, who netted after teeing up the opener, along with several other pictures, reports the Manchester Evening News.
“Best way to start,” Rashford wrote, before adding, “Vamos equipo” – which translates from Spanish into English as “Let’s go team”.
Whilst speaking to Gary Lineker on The Rest Is Football podcast recently, Rashford was asked about settling into his new environment and how he’s been keen to pick up the language.
“It’s still Spanish, a lot of the lads speak Catalan, but the easy thing for me is that a lot of the lads understand English,” he said. “So I’ve just been picking up on the basics on the pitch, which I think I’ve done quite quickly.”
Rashford also revealed how his teammates have helped him adjust, particularly regarding the language barrier. He continued: “There are good people who are like a bridge.
“Frenkie [de Jong] speaks really good English, Jules [Kounde] speaks very good English, but they also have good Spanish because they’ve been here a few years. But on the pitch, honestly it’s easier than what I thought it would be.
“Also football overall, I know a lot of people say it, but it’s a language in itself and it’s easy to communicate through the general vibe on the pitch.”
Rashford also shared his enthusiasm about playing with some of Europe’s top talents. “It’s so refreshing to be playing with them, every day they’re full of energy and it keeps you having energy as well,” he said.
“They’re all really talented but the thing that surprised me is how mature they are on the pitch. They play the game at their own tempo, it’s the way they’ve developed it’s different.”
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