Hollywood superstar Kate Winslet has heaped praise on Manchester United star Marcus Rashford’s philanthropic work, calling him an extraordinary human being.
In 2021, during the peak of COVID-19, the Manchester United forward forced the UK government to overturn their decision on free school meals for vulnerable children across the country.
He also did excellent work to help at-risk families, for which he was awarded an MBE.
Winslet shared that she was impressed with Rashford’s brace in England’s 3-0 win over 2022 FIFA World Cup Group B rivals Wales last week. The ‘Titanic’ actress further added that she educated her son about why the Manchester United graduate was so extraordinary. In an interview with BBC News, Winslet said:
“I was watching the match the other night with my son and I turned to him and said, do you have any idea how extraordinary that man is? And Joe said, oh yeah, he scored this goal. Then I said I’m not talking about football.”
She continued:
“Let me tell you exactly what that guy did during Covid. And I mean, hats off to someone like him and we do have to use our voice and try to at least raise awareness or ruffle feathers. We have to ruffle up the system. If it isn’t working, change it, fix it, do better.”
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney believes Marcus Rashford was distracted by charity work last season
Rashford was remarkable with his off-the-field work in 2021 but did not quite fire on all cylinders while on it. The England international scored only five times and assisted twice in 32 appearances for United last season.
The Manchester United academy graduate has fared considerably better for the Red Devils this term, pitching in with eight goals and three assists in 19 games across competitions.
Speaking to The Times, Wayne Rooney claimed that Rashford had a lot on his plate last year. He also attributed Rashford’s strong start this season (2022-23 campaign) to a laser-point focus on football.
Rooney said:
“His achievements were incredible, but I think it might have been a bit too much for him. Rather than being able to just focus on his football, there was a lot on his plate, whereas what we’ve seen this season is very much a focus on football first rather than anything else."
He added:
“From some of the goals he has scored, you can see he is in a different headspace.”