Marcus Rashford is the latest arrival at FC Barcelona. The English forward, the youngest of five siblings and born in Manchester, is leaving Manchester United, where he has been since the age of seven (apart from a brief loan spell at Aston Villa) to don the blaugrana jersey. Here are ten key things you'll want to know about the new recruit to Hansi Flick's cause.

1) Caribbean roots

Although born in Manchester on 31 October 1997, Barça’s new arrival has Caribbean roots through his grandmother, who is from Saint Kitts and Nevis. He becomes the second player in the current squad born in 1997, alongside Frenkie de Jong.

2) Goalkeeper in his early days

Rashford began his football journey as a goalkeeper. He started out between the sticks for the modest Manchester amateur club Fletcher Moss Rangers at just five years old.

3) Debut braces

Trained at Manchester United’s academy from the age of seven, Rashford had a dream debut on 25 February 2016. Under Louis van Gaal, he made his first-team debut in a Europa League match against Midtjylland and scored twice. Just three days later, he marked his Premier League debut with another brace, this time against Arsenal.

4) In top five led by Lamine Yamal

Rashford's career developed remarkably early. His talent shone through both at United and with the England national team. At Euro 2016 in France he became one of the youngest players ever to appear in a knockout match in that competition, a ranking now topped by his new team-mate Lamine Yamal at 16 years and 354 days. Rashford was 18 years and 240 days old when he played against Iceland in Nice, a record that still places him among the top five youngest players to feature in a Euros knockout stage.

5) Goal against Barça

He has faced his new club four times, twice in the Champions League and twice in the Europa League, all while playing for United. He scored once, in the first leg of the Europa League play-off at the Spotify Camp Nou.

6) First blaugrana Englishman for some time

It’s been 36 years since an English player last wore the Barça shirt, Gary Lineker, who was at the club from 1986 to 1989. No British or Irish footballer has joined the men’s first team since.

7) Tenth to play for Barça and United

Mark Hughes, Laurent Blanc, Larsson, Jordi Cruyff, Gerard Piqué, Víctor Valdés, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Alexis Sánchez, Memphis Depay and now Marcus Rashford.

8) Socially aware

Rashford is well known throughout the UK for his campaign for free school meals for underprivileged children. In 2020, he was awarded the MBE in recognition for his efforts, and in 2021 he became the youngest person ever to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester.

9) Author of a book

Rashford is a committed advocate in the fight against child hunger, a cause that led to actual changes in UK government policy. He is also the author of You Are a Champion, a book aimed at empowering young people.

10) Time cover

In 2021, Rashford was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, even appearing on the cover. He joins an elite group of footballers to be featured on the cover, including Lionel Messi, Neymar, Pelé, and David Beckham.

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