‘I’ll Never Apologise For Who I Am’ – Rashford Responds to Racist Abuse & Opens up on Euro 2020 Final Penalty Miss

The Manchester United forward has paid tribute to his team-mates and the outpouring of support he’s received after his spot-kick miss at Wembley

Marcus Rashford has said that he has “felt no prouder moment” representing England at Euro 2020 and that he “will never apologize for who I am and where I came from” after he was subjected to racist abuse following the Three Lions’ defeat to Italy.

Gareth Southgate’s side was beaten 3-2 on spot-kicks in the Euro 2020 final, with Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka the three players to see their efforts fall short, leading to the trio receiving abhorrent racist messages online.

Reflecting on his miss in the shootout, Manchester United forward Rashford admits that “something didn’t feel quite right” before he stepped up to take the penalty, while he has vowed the Three Lions will “be back stronger”.

What has been said?

“I don’t even know where to start and I don’t even know how to put into words how I’m feeling at this exact time,” Rashford wrote in a statement published on his social media accounts. “I’ve had a difficult season, I think that’s been clear for everyone to see and I probably went into that final with a lack of confidence.

“I’ve always backed myself for a penalty but something didn’t feel quite right. During the long run-up, I was saving myself a bit of time and unfortunately, the result was not what I wanted.

“I felt as though I had let my teammates down. I felt as if I’d let everyone down. A penalty was all I’d been asked to contribute for the team. I can score penalties in my sleep, so why not that one? It’s been playing in my head over and over since I struck the ball and there’s probably not a word to quite describe how it feels.

“Final. 55 years. One penalty. History. All I can say is sorry. I wish it had [have] gone differently. Whilst I continue to say sorry, I want to shout out [to] my teammates. This summer has been one of the best camps I’ve experienced and you’ve all played a role in that. Brotherhood has been built that is unbreakable. Your success is my success. Your failures are mine.

“I’ve grown into a sport where I expect to read things written about myself. Whether it be the color of my skin, where I grew up, or, most recently, how I decide to spend my time off the pitch I can take critique of my performance all day long, my penalty was not good enough, it should have gone in but I will never apologize for who I am and where I came from.

“I’ve felt no prouder moment than wearing those Three Lions on my chest and seeing my family cheer me on in a crowd of tens of thousands. I dreamt of days like this. The messages I’ve received today have been positively overwhelming and seeing the response on Withington had me on the verge of tears.

“The communities that always wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up. I’m Marcus Rashford, [a] 23-year-old black man from Withington and Wythenshawe, South Manchester. If I have nothing else, I have that.

“For all the kind messages, thank you. I’ll be back stronger. We’ll be back stronger.”