Marcus Rashford joins exclusive club with English legend at Barcelona after Champions League debut

Marcus Rashford made his long-awaited debut for FC Barcelona in the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League, starting in Matchday 1 against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park. By featuring in the game, the forward has now joined an exclusive group alongside an English legend in the club’s history.

With Lamine Yamal sidelined, head coach Hansi Flick was forced to shuffle his attack. Fermin Lopez played behind Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha shifted to the right wing where Yamal usually operates, and Rashford started on the left — a move that placed the former Manchester United star in rare company.

By stepping on the field against Newcastle, Marcus Rashford became only the second Englishman to appear for Barcelona in major European competition. The first was Gary Lineker, who represented the Catalan side in the UEFA Cup and the European Super Cup during his spell at the club between 1986 and 1989.

Unlike Lineker, who played before the Champions League era, Rashford is the first English player to ever feature for Barcelona in Europe’s premier competition, a historic milestone for the 27-year-old forward.

With Yamal unavailable, Flick emphasized Rashford’s importance to the squad. “We have Marcus Rashford in our team, and that’s great, because if someone up front can’t play, he can. He showed that in the last game, and I hope he can deliver the same performance in England,” the German coach said on Wednesday.

Rashford and his first goal at Barcelona

Rashford has featured in all four of Barcelona’s La Liga games this season, recording one assist but still waiting to open his goalscoring account. That changed in England, where a golden opportunity finally arrived.

In the 58th minute, Jules Kounde delivered a cross into the box, and Rashford rose above Fabian Schär to head home. Not only did he break the deadlock, but he also scored his first official goal for Barcelona, the last Englishman to do so being, fittingly, Lineker.