Marcus Rashford and his famous celebration, pointing the index finger to his temple are both in-form. The Manchester United forward has been rejuvenated like no one under Erik ten Hag who has his player firing on all cylinders. Rashford, who was deemed as a talent on severe decline has hit top gear this season, scoring a staggering 18 goals and and providing 8 assists in 31 games for the Red Devils.
While he comfortably sits atop as the English player with highest goal contributions across Europe’s top five leagues this season [26], Marcus Rashford was apparently close to leaving his boyhood club in the summer. According to multiple reports, PSG were in for the England international as they wanted him to replace succeed Kylian Mbappe in case the French forward left for Real Madrid. However, Rashford stayed in the end, and has now undergone a real renaissance.
The meaning of Marcus Rashford’s celebration that has gone viral
Marcus Rashford’s celebration has spread like a wild fire not only across the footballing world, but rather the whole world of sports. Athletes are now imitating his celebration be it in football or any sport. The likes of footballers Bukayo Saka, Joshua Kimmich, tennis superstar Novak Djokovic, English cricketer Jofra Archer were all seen copying Marcus Rashford’s trademark celebration in the last few days. But what exactly does it mean?
While the real and exact reason behind Rashford’s new celebration is quite unknown, fans have an opinion that it highlights mental health. The 25-year-old, who is seen as a hero after distributing free school dinners had opened up about tackling with mental struggles and acknowledged that they hampered him in the 2021–22 season where he only managed only 5 goals in 32 games. He told Sky Sports after scoring against West Ham in October:
“I was struggling at times with more mental things. It wasn’t really my own performance but other things off the pitch. That’s the biggest difference from last season. Too often last season, I wasn’t in the right headspace for games. I wasn’t surprised by some of the stuff that was happening.”
Marcus Rashford had just hit the century of goals for United and hasn’t looked back since. Another consensus behind the striker’s celebration is that he has often been adversely affected by the pressure and loudness at Old Trafford while leading the attack and failing to deliver. By closing his eyes and pointing to his head, might also be a sign that he personifies him blocking off unwanted attention from others and outside distractions.
In football, Rashford’s temple point is becoming popular, and many of the game’s biggest names have embraced it. Bukayo Saka imitated Rashford’s celebration against United after scoring for Arsenal; in that same match, Rashford also found the back of the net and pointed to his head. Joshua Kimmich, a standout for Bayern Munich, followed suit after a thrilling late goal against Cologne.
Quite astonishingly, the celebration has now extended outside football as well. Tennis legend Novak Djokovic pointed to the side of his head after winning his 10th Australian Open and 22nd Grand Slam title. Likewise, when England and Sussex fast bowler Jofra Archer, a devoted Manchester United supporter, took a wicket in South Africa’s SA20 league, he too imitated the Rashford celebration.
However, some argue that it is not Marcus Rashford who is the pioneer of this celebration. He undoubtedly influenced people in more recent years, but players like Arsenal’s Nicklas Bendtner and Wolves’ Ruben Neves will assert that they were more innovative. Bendtner was spotted drowning out the critics in a goal celebration in 2011 that is identical to this one. When his team was vying for promotion from the Championship in 2018, Neves can lay claim to having done it.