A new tattoo by Marcus Rashford has sparked a wave of anger and debate among a section of Manchester United fans after the English forward decided to commemorate the number 14 he wore during his loan spell at Barcelona.
Rashford shared a photo of the tattoo on his Instagram account coinciding with his return to Old Trafford and taking on the number 9 shirt, captioning it: “New number.. same mission.”
The tattoo features the numbers 39, 19, and 10, which he wore in the Red Devils’ shirt, alongside the newly added numbers 9 and 14. He wore the number 9 at Aston Villa and will wear it for United, while 14 represents his season at the Camp Nou.
The appearance of the number 14 angered some United supporters, who felt that immortalizing a loan period with Barcelona was inappropriate at a time when Rashford is striving to repair his relationship with his boyhood club’s fanbase and secure his place in the team.
Rashford’s spell in Catalonia was individually successful, featuring 49 appearances in Barcelona colors, scoring 14 goals, providing 12 assists, and helping the club capture La Liga and the Supercopa de España.
The loan ended without Barcelona exercising their buy option for roughly €30 million, leading the 28-year-old back to Manchester United after 18 months away from the squad split between Aston Villa and the Catalan giants.
Rashford has already begun regaining the trust of the Old Trafford faithful under Michael Carrick, making his first start for United since December 2024 against Ipswich, before being named Player of the Match in a 2–2 draw with Everton.
Manchester United management has issued no official objection to the tattoo, leaving the controversy strictly between media commentators and supporters—some of whom view the numbers as a natural career record, while others consider it an unwanted reminder of his past desire to leave the Red Devils.
