Usain Bolt hit the Marcus Rashford celebration yesterday after scoring a goal at the Soccer Aid match held at Old Trafford.
Yesterday, the annual Soccer Aid match was held between the World XI versus the England XI. Both teams consist of former players and many prominent celebrities. The match is to raise money to donate to the UNICEF. The 2022 edition alone raised almost £15 million, with many fans turning up to watch the highly anticipated clash.
This year’s match was held in Old Trafford, with many stars participating.
The game ended 4-2 for the World XI, making it four consecutive times that they have won. The World XI consisted of stars like sprint legend Usain Bolt, who was the captain, Brazilian legendary right back Roberto Carlos, and boxing star Tommy Fury. Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster, and retired stars such as Nani, Francesco Totti, Gabriel Batistuta, Hernan Crespo, Patrice Evra, and Robbie Keane all played. Mauricio Pochettino led the team from the sidelines.
Meanwhile, England was managed by Youtuber Stormzy, captained by English female footballer Jill Scott, and featured stars like Jack Wilshere, Jermain Defoe, Gary Cahill, Gary Neville, and Paul Scholes. Youtube Chunkz and famous actor Tom Hiddleston were also part of the team.
Bolt puts out the Marcus Rashford celebration in Soccer Aid match
After 24 minutes, Usain Bolt broke the deadlock for the World XI versus England by slotting past the keeper with a cool finish.
Clinical finish from @usainbolt 👏
— Soccer Aid (@socceraid) June 11, 2023
🏴 0-1 🌍 || @UNICEF_uk
Donate to #SoccerAid for @UNICEF_uk 👉 https://t.co/5N6Vi0ty0U pic.twitter.com/7oGqtUTrnN
Bolt, a lifelong Manchester United supporter, sprinted over to the corner of Old Trafford before putting his finger to his head, a celebration Rashford has performed frequently this season. Rashford has already appreciated the gesture and commented on it on social media.
Taking to Twitter, the striker wrote: ‘Rash X Bolt’ along with a variety of emojis featuring a lightning bolt and a finger pointing to the head.
Rashford has been in electric form this season for United. He has scored 30 times in 55 overall competitions. It was his best season by far and helped the club a lot. He has also won United’s Player of the Season award marking a great season.
Rash X Bolt ⚡️👉🏾🙎🏾♂️ https://t.co/5Jfw90obiW
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) June 11, 2023
They only won the Carabao Cup this season, having lost the FA Cup final to rivals Manchester City. Rashford will look to improve next season to further help the team win more trophies.
Currently, Rashford is in the England camp as they prepare for their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier matches against Malta and North Macedonia.
Manchester United forward’s celebration has been emulated numerous times this season
The celebration is Rashford pointing his finger to his temple. It signifies his mentality as the player has previously faced mental and racist issues in the past. The celebration is a way of saying that his mentality has kept him strong. This is why many stars have taken to copying the United winger’s celebration.
Rashford first did the celebration after scoring the winner against Wolves on December 31. Since then, he has used it throughout the season, with many stars also emulating the player’s now-famous celebration.
Arsenal wonderkid Bukayo Saka was the first to copy him, ironically after scoring the opener in a 3-2 win against United. Newcastle United’s Joelinton and
Even players from abroad did the celebration, with Englishman Tammy Abraham at Roma, Bayern superstar Joshua Kimmich, and even English cricket player Jofra Archer. Even Novak Djokovic did it after winning the last Australian Open.
The Marcus Rashford celebration will keep on being a source of inspiration among players. It signals to them that even they can come back from bad times to good times as well. This is why we will see more of the celebration in the next season as well.
