A new mural of Marcus Rashford has appeared in Manchester city centre over the weekend, highlighting the huge amount of abuse the footballer receives online.
Split into two – with one side full of unkind messages and the other spilling over with praise for the footballer, who campaigns tirelessly to improve the lives of Britain’s poorest families – it tells a stark tale of what is deemed acceptable behaviour online today.
The new artwork has been created by Reuben Dangoor, a British artist whose work is heavily influenced by current affairs and his own surroundings, in collaboration with Beats by Dre headphones.
The company, Dangoor said: “wanted to do something to show support for Marcus, who is subject to a huge amount of abuse on social media. At the same time highlighting the positive work he has been doing off the pitch and the impact that it’s had.”
The new mural can be found in Manchester’s Northern Quarter / Shudehill area. / Image: The Manc Group
A message reading ‘Form is temporary, class is permanent’ stretches across the bottom of the artwork, with Marcus depicted in the centre with his eyes shut and his ears plugged with wireless headphones.
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Behind him swarm hundreds of yellow, orange and red emoji-style reactions, a mixture of smiling and angry faces, thumbs up and hearts, alongside positive and negative messages stylised as Twitter replies.
It isn’t clear if these are real replies the footballer has received, or if they are merely inspired by them.
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Negative messages like “You don’t deserve to wear the shirt”, “you play like a child” and “stick to football” dominate one side of the mural (and serve as a stark reminder of the unsolicited abuse Rashford and many other public figures face online every day).
On the other side of the mural, there are overwhelming messages of positivity. One says simply “Replying to @MarcusRashford Let’s go Rashy”, whilst another says: “Replying to @MarcusRashford Proud to have you represent the shirt.”
Another, acknowledging the footballer’s book club and the work he’s done to encourage young people to read, says: “Replying to @MarcusRashford Thank you. Cos of you my son has started reading.”
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Marcus Rashfod has previously reported the racist abuse he has received on social media to the police.
He regularly receives tides of racist and abusive messaging online, and this seems to get even worse when Manchester United loses a match, reporting at least 70 different abusive messages after his team’s 2021 Europa League loss – including one from a teacher.
Sharing his concept sketches on Instagram today alongside the finished piece, mural artist Reuben gave followers a peek behind the scenes at what his process was when designing the new Marcus Rashford mural for Manchester.
Reuben Dangoor has previously painted portraits of Stormzy, Skepta and Dizzee Rascal, and debuted these at the Tate Britain Museum for his debut exhibition ‘Legends of the Scene’.
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It’s also not his first rendezvous drawing footballers, having had his line drawings of the England football squad picked up in both TV and print in 2018. His viral drawing of Gareth Southgate was later acquired by the Southgate family.
He has had his work featured in Design Museum’s Sneaker Exhibition, was the first artist to collaborate on the new Adidas Predators, is collaborating with Arlo Parks on her world tour campaign and merchandise, and has worked alongside David Beckham to design an exclusive in-game “David Beckham” kit for FIFA 22, released last month.
Find the mural over on the border of Shudehill and the Northern Quarter by the old fish market.
Feature image – The Manc Group
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First look at Albert Square as Manchester Christmas Markets return to their spiritual home
Thomas Melia
Manchester Christmas Markets are back and all our Christmas wishes have come true, as its spiritual home Albert Square joins in on the festivities for the first time in six years.
Grab a mulled wine, toast yourself a marshmallow and take a seat, because we’re going to take you on a quick tour of this brand-new offering.
You’ll be able to tick off your Christmas Markets wish list in one place, as Manchester has got all your usual favourites and so much more taking place right here outside of its iconic Town Hall.
As soon as you walk in you’re greeted by a huge sign spelling out the city’s iconic abbreviation ‘MCR’, just in case you forgot where you were, that also doubles as a nice photo opportunity.
Albert Square in Manchester city centre is getting into the Christmas spirit for the first time in six years / Credit: The Manc Group
As you walk into Albert Square there’s a mix of nostalgic wooden huts and brightly coloured modern street food vendor stations waiting to tempt you with all their tasty treats.
There’s no messing around at this Christmas hotspot because not even 10 feet after you enter, you can warm up with a glühwein and bratwurst, yes please.
Think you’re done sampling some festive feasts? Think again as there’s a marshmallow toasting station, a roasted chestnut cart and lots of huts are offering their own hot chocolate creations.
Local street food vendor Rita’s Reign has made her mark in Albert Square too, serving up her foodie feasts with a seasonal spin such as the ‘Festive Feast’ and ‘Christmas Crunch’ combo boxes.
Rita’s Reign is just one of many food vendors at Manchester Christmas Markets / Credit: The Manc Group
As you keep making your way round there’s some lovely gifts and trinkets to browse including tree decorations, ornaments and some vibrant pieces of art.
There’s plenty of ways to keep the kids (and big kids) entertained with some carnival-themed games and stalls as well as a vintage carousel, if that doesn’t get you in the Christmas spirit what else will?
Of course, there’s even more food to mention like mini dutch pancakes, toasted sandwiches, French toast, the list is endless (Much like many of our Christmas lists).
And we couldn’t finish our visit without acknowledging the elephant in the room, also known as The Manchester Big Wheel, which is the perfect people-watching spot, but maybe hop on this ride before you try all the tasty treats mentioned above.
Drivers warned of ‘bad habit’ that could land them with £1,000 fines this winter
Emily Sergeant
Drivers are being warned of a ‘bad habit’ on the roads that could seem them hit with hefty fines as winter rolls around.
Once the temperatures drop, and the days get shorter and darker, fog tends to become a more common weather occurrence around this time of year – but an eye-opening new survey has found that most drivers don’t really how to use their fog lights correctly.
According to guidance from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), fog lights should only be used on British roads when visibility drops below 100 metres, yet the new research by eBay has found that 60% of drivers use their fog lights at the wrong times, and what’s more is that one in 10 say they switch on their fog lights when visibility is less than 300 metres.
48% of drivers who took part in the research admitted that they activate full-beam headlights when it’s dark, regardless of oncoming traffic and other road users.
Drivers are being warned of a ‘bad habit’ that could land them with £1,000 fines this winter / Credit: Nabeel Syed (via Unsplash)
The RAC says these stats reveal a ‘worrying trend’ among motorists, and have warned that these habits could actually means drivers are risking fines of up to £1,000 and three penalty points on their licence.
If the incorrect usage of fog lights wasn’t bad enough as it is, the new research also found that many Brits say they do not stay on-top of regular car maintenance when it comes to car fog lights, either – with just 15% saying they check them every month, and shockingly, 24% stating they’ve never checked them before.
Due to the ongoing issue of headlight glare, in whatever form that may be, The RAC has found that as many as one in four drivers (25%) who find headlights ‘too bright’ are actually driving less as a result.
“Unfortunately for a lot of drivers, the annual onset of darker evenings coincides with another unwelcome arrival – that of overly-bright headlights that they believe make driving more difficult due to dazzle and discomfort,” explained Rod Dennis, who is the Senior Policy Officer at the RAC.
“While most of us have no choice other than to adapt to driving at night more often as the clocks go back, the fact headlight glare is the leading cause of nervousness underlines it’s a problem that needs tackling.
“At the same time, it’s important to remember that brighter headlights can give drivers a better view of the road ahead, so there’s a balance to be struck.”
Georgina Pellant -
3rd May 2022 
