With his official accession to Barcelona, Marcus Rashford becomes the second English player to wear the shirt of the first team of the Catalan club for more than a hundred years, after the legend of the eighties, Gary Linker, in a move to highlight the limited historical relationship between England and the Catalan club.
Why did the English presence remain rare in Barcelona?
Although England is the cradle of modern football, the number of English players who represented Barcelona was very limited throughout its history, which is due to multiple reasons, including the historical restrictions that were imposed on contracting with foreigners, in addition to Barcelona’s tendency towards attracting talents from other football schools such as Dutch, Brazilian and Hungarian.
It is noted that the Catalan club has been relied for decades on a spherical identity affected by specific schools, especially after the golden era of Yuhan Cruyff, which contributed to its reluctance to the English market, despite its richness in the stars.
Who are the English players who played in Barcelona?
In the beginning of the twentieth century, specifically during the early years of the founding of Barcelona, a number of English players participated in friendly matches, and names such as:
Charles Herford
• Arthur Johnson
• Freeman
Gordon Frank Basto
These posts document reliable sources such as “the Great Dictionary of Barcelona players” and “Barcelona players Association”, and indicates the role of these people in contributing to the formation of the team’s early identity.
But Gary Linker remains the most prominent name in the history of Barcelona from the English players in the modern era, where he played 139 official matches and scored 52 goals between 1986 and 1989, along with 6 goals in friendly meetings, and left a clear imprint among the Catalan fans.
Did others play other Barcelona teams?
After leaving Linker, no English player appeared with Barcelona’s first team, with the exception of a short experience of Marcus Maguan between 2018 and 2020, who played with the reserve team “Barcelona B” and participated in the Catalan Super Cup match only.
What is the importance of Rashford’s transfer to Barcelona?
Marcus Rashford’s accession to Barcelona on loan is an unusual step in the club’s history, and a remarkable event that reopens the cooperation page between La Liga and the English School, especially since Rashford is one of the most prominent stars of England in recent years.
The deal is not only a technical dimension, but also represents a symbol of rebuilding a spherical cultural relationship between a club that has always adhered to a special identity, and an English ball that represents the historical depth of the game.
