How Marcus Rashford Fared in La Liga Debut vs. Mallorca

Barcelona got off to a winning start in La Liga with a 3–0 victory against Mallorca, a game were Marcus Rashford made his official debut with the club.

There was plenty of uncertainty surrounding Marcus Rashford’s availability to play in Barcelona’s 2025–26 La Liga debut. A day prior to the match, the England international still wasn’t registered in La Liga given Barcelona‘s financial woes.

Nevetheless, Barcelona managed to register Rashford mere hours before kick-off in Mallorca. After featuring in all four of Barça’s preseason games, the former Manchester United forward made his official debut for Hansi Flick’s side.

Here’s how Rashford performed in his La Liga debut.

Marcus Rashford vs. Mallorca

With Barcelona cruising, playing against nine-men and boasting a two-goal lead, Rashford replaced Ferran Torres in the 68th minute of the match.

The Englishman was a victim of the context he was brought into, with Barcelona comfortably maintaining possession in midfield and Mallorca sitting back in a deep low-block. Rashford, who was deployed as a center forward in the absence of the injured Robert Lewandowski, didn’t have much room in which to operate.

Still, he constantly drifted wide to the left to serve as an outlet for midfielders and he repeatedly looked to feed Jofre Torrents who overlapped from the left back position. One of those actions nearly led to Barcelona’s third goal of the evening, with Torrents getting to the end of a Rashford pass and lashing a powerful cross that no one could get to the end of.

Rashford completed 10 of the 11 passes he attempted in his little over 25-minute cameo. He teed-up Lamine Yamal in a couple of occasions to create scoring opportunities, but the teenager’s shots were denied both times.

There were two key instances where Rashford could’ve done better, showing clear signs of rust. Eric García threaded a menacing pass into the box that Rashford might not have been expecting and his first-touch failed him. Had he made a good control, he would’ve been face-to-face with the goalkeeper.

Later, in one of the few occasions Mallorca were undermanned in defense during the second half, Rashford received the ball on the edge of the box with a chance to beat his man and fire a shot on goal. However, he stumbled with the ball at his feet as he attempted a dribble, costing himself of a scoring opportunity with what can only be described as a clumsy action.

Overall, it was far from a spectacular debut from Rashford, but it was hard for him to make much of an impact considering the way Barcelona were playing when he came on. Although it wasn’t a memorable performance, there’s signs he’s beginning to build chemistry with his teammates and that he looks energized, trying to prove he’s worthy of more playing time.

When Will Marcus Rashford Play for Barcelona Next?

Rashford and Barcelona will be back in action in La Liga next Saturday when they visit newly-promoted side Levante on Aug. 23. Then, Barcelona will visit Rayo Vallecano on Aug. 31, for their final match before the September international break.

It’s likely Rashford will continue to feature from the bench in the next two games as he continues to fully grasp Flick’s system. However, he’ll hope his upcoming cameos happen with a more favorable context, where he can truly showcase his best traits.