The story of Marcus Rashford’s parents, Robert and Melanie

Stephanie Beatrice

Marcus Rashford is an English player who has played for Manchester United since he was seven and the England national team when he was 15. Despite playing for England, Rashford has a rich ethnic background with roots as far as the Caribbean.

Rashford’s rise in club football has been phenomenal -something he credits to his faith. In addition to crediting his career success to the Almighty, the English footballer thanks his mother for inspiring his dreams to come true.

This article covers Marcus Rashford’s parents, ethnicity, nationality, and their role in raising Rashford to be a football star.

He has Jamaican and Kittitian ethnicity

Marcus Rashford’s father, Robert Rashford, is Jamaican, while his mother, Melanie, is Kittitian from Saint Kitts and Nevis. This means that Marcus Rashford’s ethnicity is Jamaican and Kittitian.

Is Marcus Rashford’s dad a Ghanaian? On June 2023, former Ghanaian footballer Michael Boye Marquaye spurred the internet with a public statement claiming that he was Marcus Rashford’s biological father.

The former footballer, now residing in the United Kingdom, explained that his intention was not for financial gains or fame but for Rashford to be aware of his roots. 

He addressed Rashford directly on a video, stating that he had been quiet for too long and that his children and great-grandchildren would be lost if he didn’t tell him the truth.

Marcus Rashford puts on a dejected face while playing for Manchester United.
Marcus Rashford puts on a dejected face while playing for Manchester United. Image: X/UTDMist

However, official records declare Robert Rashford, who hails from Jamaica, as the biological father of Marcus Rashford, but there is no further information about him.

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He was raised by a single-parent

Are Marcus Rashford’s parents together? There is no information on when Marcus Rashford’s parents met and when they separated or divorced.

Rashford was raised by a single mother, Melanie Rashford, in a working-class family. Melanie worked multiple jobs to cater to the family’s needs.

Despite their shortcomings, his mother raised them in a Christian household and instilled Christian values.

While the English footballer grew up supporting Manchester United and ended up playing for them, half of Marcus Rashford’s family are Manchester City supporters.

He was enrolled in a kid’s football center despite his humble background

In an interview with BBC, Rashford explained that his mother worked multiple jobs to feed their family and sometimes missed meals for her children.

Melanie couldn’t afford to buy Rashford toys like his peers when he was a child. He had a white ball, which he highly treasured and labeled ‘Marcus’s ball’ and always kept by himself.

Marcus’s mother saw more to his son’s football dream and enrolled him in a kid’s football center when he was five.

Despite living in poverty, Melanie supported his son, and he eventually soared higher beyond everyone’s expectations.

He has several charity campaigns inspired by his mother

Marcus Rashford poses for a photo with his mum, Melanie Rashford.
Marcus Rashford and his mother, Melanie. Image: X/FootballTalkHQ

How did Marcus Rashford’s parents influence his life and career? His mother has also been an inspiration and role model for Rashford’s charity campaigns, such as the child food poverty and literacy campaigns.

In the ‘In the Box’ campaign, they donate food or food vouchers to needy children to end child food poverty. The campaign also aims to establish free school meal programs for school-going children in the UK.

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The Literacy campaign works to help vulnerable and underprivileged children access books worldwide.

Under the partnership with Macmillan Publishers, the footballer released a non-fiction motivational children’s book titled ‘You Are A Champion’ and distributed 50,000 books for free.

He has five biological siblings and one half-sister

Marcus Rashford has five biological siblings from the marital union of Robert and Melanie Rashford.

He is the last-born child among two older brothers, Dwaine Maynard and Dane Rashford, and two sisters, Chantelle and Claire Rashford.

He also has a half-sister, Tamara Rashford, with whom they share the same father but have different mothers.

Rashford is also cousins with English footballer Lois Maynard, who currently plays for Radcliffe as a midfielder.

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