前泰晤士记者Henry Winter关于拉什福德的全文
原文与译文
马库斯·拉什福德今天休息，于是他回到了位于曼彻斯特南部的布顿巷小学（Button Lane），给所有学生分发了420份圣诞礼物。这是一场筹划已久的活动，让孩子们满心欢喜。一个刚四岁多一点的小男孩给这位曼联前锋传达了一条特别的讯息：“马库斯，也谢谢你提供的食物。”
拉什福德终有一天会离开曼联，鉴于卡灵顿训练基地内的种种氛围，可能就在1月转会窗口就会离开，但在他持续致力于解决儿童食品贫困问题后，他的影响力仍将留在全国众多孩子心中。“听到那句话，我百分百深受触动，”拉什福德在跟我谈到那个四岁小男孩的感谢之词时说道，“我不愿看到孩子们经历我成长过程中所经历的那些，所以只要我能帮到的孩子，我都会尽力帮忙。这就是为什么这个项目需要尽可能长久地开展下去，而且要不断完善。”
无论你在有关拉什福德的争论中持何种立场（他确实经常登上新闻头条），他在众多孩子的生活中都发挥了积极作用。布顿巷小学的一位老师表示，拉什福德送的礼物将会是这420个孩子中部分孩子今年圣诞节收到的唯一礼物。另一位老师则透过窗户指向了拉什福德出资修建的五人制人造草皮足球场。
在当前关于拉什福德的争论中，需要保持一种客观平衡的态度。有人给我看了他经常收到的一些私信内容，那些话简直不堪入目。还有关于他缺乏职业精神的传言。“我确实感觉被人误解了，但我无所谓。我是个很简单的人。我爱足球。从一开始足球就是我的全部生活。”
27岁的拉什福德在为曼联出战的426场比赛中打进138球（代表英格兰队出战60场打进17球），他依然是一位极具天赋的球员，等他离开曼联时，可能会收到来自西班牙方面的邀约。没错，他在球场上本可以做得更多，尤其是在无球状态下。没错，鲁本·阿莫里姆把他排除在了周日对阵曼城的比赛大名单之外，阿莫里姆质疑他在训练中的投入程度。“没能入选这场德比大战的名单挺让人沮丧的，”拉什福德回应道，“但事情已经发生了，我们赢下了比赛，那就向前看吧。这确实令人失望，但随着年龄增长，我已经能够应对挫折了。我该怎么做呢？坐在那儿哭吗？还是下次有机会上场时全力以赴呢。”
今天早上他醒来就看到了那些报道曼联想要出售他的新闻头条。我问拉什福德他是会留还是会走。“就我个人而言，我觉得我已经准备好迎接新挑战，迈向下一步了。”他所有的话语都饱含着对这家将近20年来一直是他归属的俱乐部的尊重。“当我离开时，不会心怀怨恨。你们不会听到我对曼联有任何负面评价。我就是这样的人。如果我知道情况已经很糟了，我不会让它变得更糟。我见过过去其他球员离开时的情形，我不想成为那样的人。等我离开时，我会发表一份声明，而且那会是我发自内心的声明。”会是作为一名红魔的肺腑之言吗？“是的！百分百，百分百是这样。”
他正处在27岁这个球员的黄金年龄，兼具经验与运动能力，本应该扎根于一支球队，创造更为辉煌的成就。“我的职业生涯已经走过一半了，”拉什福德回应道，“我不认为我的巅峰就是现在。到目前为止，我已经在英超征战了九年，这教会了我很多，帮助我作为一名球员以及一个人成长了起来。所以对于过去九年我没有任何遗憾。往后我也不会有遗憾，因为我每天脚踏实地过日子，有时候会遇到坏事，有时候会遇到好事。我只是努力去保持良好的心态平衡。”最好的还在后头？“百分百。这就是我的心态。”
他渴望重返英格兰队，渴望有机会征战2026年世界杯。“这依然让我激动不已。代表自己的国家参加世界上最重大的赛事，我以前有过这样的机会（2018年俄罗斯世界杯和2022年卡塔尔世界杯），那是非常棒的经历。如果我能再次得到这样的机会，我会全力以赴去抓住它。”
尽管他已经为阿莫里姆打进三球，但这位新主帅的3-4-2-1战术体系似乎并不适合拉什福德。拉什福德本人强调了他的适应能力，无论是出任左边锋、中锋还是前腰。“我具备胜任这三个位置的特质。有些位置对我来说更自然，有些位置我得加强训练，在战术方面多下点功夫。左边路最适合我。”但阿莫里姆不采用4-3-3或者4-2-3-1阵型。他用的是双前腰战术。“左边前腰这个位置依然适合我，但你得调整自己的比赛方式。最重要的技能就是适应能力。人们可能看不到这一点，但最终他们会发现，在历任主帅麾下我已经在众多不同位置上踢过球了。”
如果他在阿莫里姆手下的日子看起来所剩无几，拉什福德将会到别处去追逐自己的梦想。上次拉什福德回到布顿巷小学时，一个小女孩问他：“你最大的成就什么？”他回答道：“我还没有取得呢。”
这种态度呼应了他对美国心态大师蒂姆·格罗弗所著《不懈》（Relentless）一书的喜爱。拉什福德并没有对足球失去热爱，他依然渴望在这项属于他的运动中有所建树。“当然了，不管别人怎么说我，我都有自己的梦想。我已经实现了其中一部分，但我还没达到自己想要达到的高度。但问题是，当你达成目标后，你又会设定另一个目标。这是个永不停歇的循环。其实并没有真正的终点。”
这就是对卓越的追求。拉什福德需要强化这种追求。他有天赋。而且看起来这份天赋将会离开曼联。他仍会回到布顿巷小学。马库斯·拉什福德不会忘记自己来自哪里，也不会忘记曼联。
Marcus Rashford had a day off today so he returned to his old primary school, Button Lane, south Manchester, and handed out 420 Christmas presents to all the pupils. It was a long-planned event, eliciting delight from the children. One boy scarcely more than four years old, had a special message for the Manchester United striker. “Thank you for the food as well, Marcus.”
Rashford will leave United one day, possibly in the January window given the mood music inside Carrington, but his influence will remain with many children across the country following his ongoing work tackling child food poverty. “It was emotional to hear that, 100%,” Rashford told me of the four-year-old’s words of thanks. “I don’t like to see kids go through what I went through growing up so as many kids as I can help I will. That's why the programme needs to go on for as long as possible and it needs to keep improving.”
Wherever you stand on the Rashford debate, and he certainly generates headlines, he has been a force for good in so many children’s lives. One of the Button Lane teachers said that Rashford’s present will be the only one some of the 420 kids receive this Christmas. Another pointed through the window to the 3G five-a-side Rashford funded.
Some balance is required in the current Rashford debate. I was shown some of the DMs he receives on a regular basis and they are utterly despicable. There are rumours of a lack of professionalism. “I do feel misunderstood but I’m fine with it. I’m a very simple person. I love football. That’s been my life from the beginning.”
At 27, and having scored 138 goals in 426 appearances for United (and 17 in 60 for England), Rashford remains a huge talent, and will be in demand, possibly from Spain, when he leaves United. Yes, he could do more on the field, certainly out of possession. Yes, he was dropped from Sunday’s match-day squad against Manchester City by Ruben Amorim, who questioned his application in training. “It’s disheartening to be left out of a Derby,” Rashford replied, “but it’s happened, we won the game so let's move on. It’s disappointing but I’m also someone as I’ve got older I can deal with setbacks. What am I going to do about it? Sit there and cry about it. Or do my best the next time I’m available.”
He awoke this morning to headlines detailing United’s desire to sell him. I ask Rashford if he’s staying or going? “For me, personally, I think I'm ready for a new challenge and the next steps.” All of his words were prefaced with respect for the club which has been his home for almost 20 years. “When I leave it's going to be ‘no hard feelings’. You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That’s me as a person.
"If I know that a situation is already bad I'm not going to make it worse. I've seen how other players have left in the past and I don't want to be that person. When I leave I'll make a statement and it will be from me.” From the heart as he’ll always be a Red? “Yes! 100%. 100%.”
He’s 27, peak time for a player, combining experience and athleticism, and he should be embedded in a team, creating an even bigger legacy. “I’m halfway through my career,” Rashford replies. “I don’t expect my peak to be now. I've had nine years so far in the Premier League and that’s taught me a lot, that’s helped me grow as a player and as a person. So I don't have any regrets from the last nine years. I won’t have any regrets going forward because I take things day by day and sometimes bad things happen, sometimes good things happen. I just try and keep a fine balance.” The best is yet to come? “100%. That's my mentality.”
He craves an England return and chance of making the 2026 World Cup. “That still excites me. It's playing for your country in the biggest competition in the world. I've had the chance to do it before (Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022) and it's an unbelievable experience. If I got the opportunity again, I'll try and grab it with both hands.”
Even though he has scored three times for Amorim, the new head coach’s 3-4-2-1 system does not appear to suit Rashford. The player himself makes a point about his adaptability, whether left wing, No 9 or No 10. “I have traits to play in all three positions. Some positions are more natural to me, some positions I have to train more and do a bit more tactical (work). The left side suits me the best.” But Amorim doesn’t play 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. He plays with two 10s. “The left 10 still suits me but you have to adapt your game. The biggest skill-set is adaptability. People might not see it but eventually they'll see I’ve played in plenty of different positions under all the managers.”
If his days under Amorim look numbered, Rashford will pursue his dreams elsewhere. The last time Rashford returned to Button Lane, he was asked by a young girl “what’s your biggest achievement?” He replied, “I haven't achieved it yet.”
That attitude echoes his love of “Relentless”, the book by the American mindset guru Tim Grover. Rashford’s not fallen out of love with football, he’s still aspiring to achieve things in the sport that’s his world. “Definitely, regardless of what gets said about me I have my own dreams. I’ve achieved parts of it. But I’m not at where I want to be. But the problem is when you get there, you create another thing. It’s a cycle that never stops. There’s not really an end point.”
Just the pursuit of excellence. Rashford needs to intensify that pursuit. He has the talent. And it looks like that talent will move away from #MUFC. He will still return to Button Lane. Marcus Rashford won’t forget where he came from. Nor will he forget United.
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