England ace Marcus Rashford is flying on the pitch… and off it.
The Manchester United hero chartered a Boeing 737 to whisk fiancee Lucia Loi to New York for a romantic break.
The plane – which cost £240,000 to hire – normally carries over 125 passengers.
A source said: “It was a grand gesture. Marcus is loved up.”
The footballer and Lucia, both 25, enjoyed the trip last month after he was ruled out of England’s games due to injury.
He shared a few snaps of their trip to the Big Apple online – including a picture of them posing by a fountain in Central Park.
Marcus and Lucia met at school in Greater Manchester when they were just 15. The couple got engaged last May.
Lucia, who has a degree in advertising and brand management, has previously travelled with Marcus to tournaments such as the World Cup. Some football fans criticised the timing of their Manhattan trip – while the Three Lions played Euro qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine. But boss Gareth Southgate said: “Once Marcus is ruled out of the squad, it’s entirely up to him how he spends his time.”
Marcus – Manchester United’s top scorer this season with 28 goals – is currently injured again. He limped off the pitch after a recent game against Everton.
The forward won national acclaim during the pandemic in June 2020 when he launched a campaign to feed the most vulnerable children in society.
His actions resulted in a government U-turn as Tory ministers agreed to provide meal vouchers for 1.3 million children during the school holidays.
As a child, Marcus relied on breakfast clubs and free school meals when he was growing up in Manchester.
He joined United’s youth set-up aged seven and now earns a reported £200,000 a week.
Marcus isn’t the only top footballer with a love of flying. Ex-United star Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar all have their own private jets.
