Marcus Rashford shares touching letters he received from children following Euros defeat

Marcus Rashford has shared a series of heartfelt letters received from children across the country following his missed penalty during England’s match against Italy on Sunday night.

After he missed his penalty during the shootout in the Euros 2020 final, the Man United striker was inundated with vile and racist messages from internet trolls – his mural in Withington was even vandalised, though it has since been adorned with flowers, flags and messages of love and support from locals. 

And last night, after a full day of silence, Rashford issued a heartfelt statement on Twitter, beginning by admitting that he’s had a ‘difficult season,’ and said that by missing the penalty last night, he felt he had ‘let his team mates down.’

Moving on to the issue surrounding the racist abuse he was faced with, he wrote: “I can critique my performance all day long, my penalty was not good enough, it should have gone in but I will never apologise for who I am and where I came from.

“The messages I’ve received today have been positively overwhelming and seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears. The communities that always wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up.”

Following up his statement, he then shared a number of heartwarming letters he had received from adoring children across the country following Sunday night’s match.

@MarcusRashford / Twitter

One letter, signed from nine-year-old Dexter Rosier, told the footballer to not be sad ‘for too long’ because ‘you are such a good person.’

It reads: “Last year you inspired me to help people less fortunate. Then last night [Sunday], you inspired me again to always be brave. I’m proud of you, you will always be a hero.”

Another letter penned by eleven-year-old Alfie informed Rashford that even though he’s from Wales he still ‘likes England’, and that he’s proud of him and the rest of squad.

@MarcusRashford / Twitter

He wrote: “Coming second may not sound great but it’s amazing [sic] you and your team mates should be proud of yourselves… you are the first squad to reach a major final in over 55 years.”

Alfie went on to inform Rashford that, while the world has ‘been paused’ for the last eighteen months, he has been the one to ‘keep us going’ and, while many people have waited a long time to see ‘the beautiful game’, Rashford has been ‘the star of the show.’

He then explained that he had recently been ‘doing bad with my social anxiety’, but once his mum bought him his book ‘it changed him’ and ‘he couldn’t put it down.’

He added: “If there was anyone in the world who deserves an MBE it would be you!”