Story updated January 2023.
Forge FC goalkeeper Triston Henry has selected Manchester United and England striker Marcus Rashford as someone to highlight for Black History Month.
The 2020 CPL Goalkeeper of the Year says his choice of a contemporary – with Rashford being four years younger – is an important one.
“We have our leaders that have been with us forever,” Henry told CanPL.ca. “But when you see something that a young athlete like this is doing, especially in football… he’s doing something huge, especially during a time like the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s something amazing that is getting pushed under the rug with everything else that’s going on in the world.”
Rashford has raised millions of dollars to fight childhood hunger in the United Kingdom, with initiatives spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic bringing international attention. The 25-year-old, who often uses his social media to promote fundraisers, won the FIFA Foundation Award and was featured by Time Magazine in 2021 in its “The Next 100” issue.
Who would have thought you could have captured this via an iPhone in my front room ? thank you @TIME very proud ♥️ #TIME100Next pic.twitter.com/5rHFcEMAlB
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) February 17, 2021
Henry, like Rashford, came from a single-parent family and knows the importance of Rashford’s work.
“I know the struggle it is to have one parent that goes out there and works every day and does everything they can to provide for their family,” Henry said.
“He definitely understood what it felt like to grow up in that way and you don’t want that for any other kid. He is giving them the best opportunity just by feeding them – it’s the easiest thing you can do.”