The racist graffiti daubed on a mural of Marcus Rashford in the wake of his Euro 2020 penalty heartache has been covered with hundreds of positive notes and messages praising the England star.
The tribute on the wall of the Coffee House Cafe in his home town of Withington, Manchester, had been defaced, in what is being investigated by police as a possible ‘hate crime‘, with derogatory comments about Rashford and included the words ‘sh**e’ and ‘b*****d’.
Further graffiti said ‘f**k Sancho’ in reference to Three Lions teammate Jadon Sancho who also missed a penalty during the shoot-out.
But residents wasted little time in rushing to cover up the abuse with embellishments – all covered with inspirational terms including ‘hero’, ‘inspiration’ and ‘role model’.
One touching message read: ‘I can take or leave football but I cannot take or leave people like you. Thank you for your passion, compassion and desire to change lives.’
Another said: ‘Dear Marcus, please know that you are so admired and people find you an inspiration.’
It comes after the England star, 23, penned an emotional open letter to England fans apologising for his penalty miss against Italy at Wembley on Sunday.
The striker, who was left visibly distraught after his penalty hit the post, had also paid tribute to his supportive teammates and vowed to ‘come back stronger’ after the heartbreaking final.
Speaking in an open letter posted on his Twitter account, the star said: ‘The messages I have received have been positively overwhelming and seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears.
‘The communities that always wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up. I’m a 23-year-old black man from Withington and Wythenshawe, South Manchester. If I have nothing else, I have that.’
Source: Express.co.uk