Marcus Rashford cruised into Barcelona training in a £25,000 company car on Friday morning.
The loanee looked focused as he coasted past a gaggle of fans filming his arrival in a CUPRA, which every member of the squad receives.
His humble ride is a long shot from the £450,000 Lamborghini supercar which he reportedly sold in March.
Rashford had been zipping around Manchester in a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ but he sold it to a rally driver two months after having a half-year ban for speeding lifted, according to The Sun. He had been exceeded the 70mph speed limit on the M60 in Manchester in his £560,000 Rolls Royce Cullinan Blue Shadow in December 2023.
His new drive is somewhat less likely to roast the road, with most CUPRAs having a top speed of 155mph – still astonishingly fast, but nothing compared to the blinding 217mph of the Lamborghini.
The 27-year-old said he feels like he is ‘at home’ after joining Barca on loan from Manchester United, with the Spanish champions holding a £40million option to buy him.
Marcus Rashford rolled into Barcelona training on Friday in a £25,000 company-provided car
Some fans had lined up outside the training ground to capture videos of their new loanee
Barca are footing all of his £315,000-per-week wage even though he is likely to start out as a bench option behind Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, and Raphinha.
Rashford revealed he was ready to leave Manchester United last December and subsequently went out on loan to Aston Villa, where he cut a revitalised figure.
And it has been all smiles in Spain so far, with Barcelona treating him to an exclusive £156-per-head Amar restaurant dining experience, with 18 people attending the dinner.
Rock icon Bruce Springsteen, former USA president Barack Obama and esteemed film director Steven Spielberg are among the famous faces to have dined at the luxury brasserie.
Dishes of tuna belly, prawns, crab cannelloni and ‘mongetes’ from Santa Pau were served to the table, with Rashford and Co offered an opportunity to sample a variety of delicacies.
The group, according to Spanish outlet El Periodico, completed the feast with wagyu meat and Galician blonde, before having the restaurant’s famous cheesecake for dessert.
After the meal, Rashford and Laporta posed for a photograph with the chefs, waiting staff and sommeliers, both beaming at their excitement over the new chapter.
Rashford has taken the number 14 , previously worn by legends such as Johan Cruyff and Thierry Henry.
Rashford was handed a six-month driving ban after he was caught going 104mph on the M60 in his £560,000 Rolls Royce Cullinan Blue Shadow
Rashford celebrated his loan move to Barcelona by dining out with the club’s president Joan Laporta and other members of the board at one of the city’s most exclusive restaurants
The Man United exile’s loan move to Barcelona was made official on Wednesday evening
Rashford could not stop smiling at his unveiling – and he has been given a five-star welcome
It’s all smiles for Rashford at the Nou Camp – both at his unveiling and during training sessions
Speaking at his unveiling, Rashford expressed his delight at signing for the Catalan giants and said it will be a ‘joy’ to play for the club.
‘I am very excited, I think it’s a club where people’s dreams come true,’ Rashford said.
‘What the club stands for means a lot to me as well and it feels like I’m at home, and this is a big factor in my choice. It’s a family club people are comfortable here and it’s a good place for people to show their skills.
‘I try to make decisive actions and fast dynamic plays and I always like good football so I’ve always been a fan of watching Barcelona from a young age.
‘It’s going to be a joy for me to play here and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.’
‘I am definitely full of excitement and hunger to go out and try an help the team win.’
‘They won so much last year and I can see the ambition is to do better than last year.
‘As a player that’s what you want to hear, it keeps you improving year on year and that’s what you need to be the best version of yourself.’
It marks a drastic change from his last few months at Manchester United, where he has been placed in Ruben Amorim’s five-man bomb squad following a loan spell at Aston Villa
Rashford added that he had ‘very positive’ talks with Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, who he described as one of the games’ ‘top coaches’.
The Manchester United exile, who had been placed alongside fellow outcasts Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Tyrell Malacia and Jadon Sancho in Ruben Amorim’s five-man summer bomb squad, looked like a man reborn after touching down in Spain to complete his move.
Rashford, set to wear No 14 at the Nou Camp, was pictured grinning in training alongside Spanish superstar Lamine Yamal – and several fans even claimed he had enjoyed a ‘glow-up’ after his unveiling.
Rashford is understood to have taken 15 per cent pay cut from his £315,000-a-week Man United wage to join Barcelona.
During his successful loan stint at Aston Villa, he scored three goals and contributed four assists across all competitions as Unai Emery’s side reached the Champions League quarter-finals.
