Marcus Rashford bid adieu to FC Barcelona with some words of gratitude for the club.
The England strikermade an Instagram post on Thursday, July 30 with an image of his No. 14 kit and a photo of him playing in a match.
"I’m very grateful to everyone at the club for making my time here such a positive and memorable experience," he wrote for the caption, which healso published on X. "I’ve enjoyed every moment and will take many special memories with me. I wish the club and all its supporters the very best of luck and every success in the season ahead."
Rashford will return to Old Trafford for the upcoming Premier League season, which kicks off on August 22 against newly promoted Hull City. He joined FC Barcelona on loan last July for one season amid
a public feud with former Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim. The Spanish side, who also has Lamine Yamal, Jules Koundé and Raphinha among the stars on on its roster, had the option to pay an additional €30 million ($35 million) to keep Rashford permanently. But ESPN reported that they let the June 15 deadline pass, releasing him back to the Premier League team.
The 28-year-old played in 49 matches for FC Barcelona and scored 14 goals with 11 assists. In May, Barcelona won its second consecutive La Liga championship after beating rival Real Madrid, and Rashford's England teammate Jude Bellingham, in El Clásico. Rashford scored one of his club's two goals when he nailed a free kick early in the match.
Rashford and the Three Lions finished third in this summer's World Cup after a 10-goal thriller against Golden Boot winner Kylian Mbappé and France. En route to their second-best finish at the global tournament, England won Group L and beat Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mexico and Norway before losing to Argentina in the most-watched World Cup semifinal ever. Rashford scored a goal in England's opener, a4-2 win over Croatia.
In the 2020 European Championship, England went to the final against Italy. The match went to a penalty shootout and Rashford stutter-stepped and missed his shot. He received immense criticism and racist remarks online. The forward was left off the roster for the 2024 tournament.
Rashford came up in Manchester United's youth system. He made his debut for the Red Devils' first-team in 2016 at the age of 18 and scored two goals in his first match. He has since made more than 400 appearances with the Premier League club with more than 130 goals. He also spent the second half of the 2024-2025 season on loan to Aston Villa.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Marcus Rashford says goodbye to FC Barcelona, returns to Manchester United
