A City United! Mural of Marcus Rashford in Manchester is Repaired

By Ewelina Lepionko

The defaced artwork featuring Marcus Rashford has been restored.

A mural in Manchester honoring the footballer Marcus Rashford was defaced within hours of England's loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 finals. The Manchester United star, 23, missed the team's third kick from the spot after Euro 2020  final went to penalties. 

The artwork was sprayed with 'racially aggravated' graffiti but Mancunians quickly came together in support of the footballer and replaced the vulgar words with heartwarming messages.

"Dear Marcus, please know that you are so admired and people find you an inspiration."

"Thank you for your passion, compassion, and desire to change lives."

The art piece was painted in recognition of Rashford’s efforts in tackling child food poverty. 

The mural to the 23-year-old was originally commissioned by community project Withington Walls and painted by street artist Akse. It can be found on the wall of Coffee House Cafe on Copson Street in Withington, about four miles from Old Trafford, the area where Rashford grew up before moving to Wythenshawe as a young child.
manutd.com

Now its original creator French-born artist Akse has repainted the artwork to eradicate all traces of abuse. But hundreds have continued to leave messages, flowers, flags, and banners.

"The messages I’ve received today have been positively overwhelming and seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears", Rashford said in a post on Twitter.

What began as an act of hatred turned into the opposite, a demonstration of love.

In a statement, Marcus Rashford said he "will never apologize for who he is or where he comes from" after he received torrents of racist abuse on social media following England's loss.