Ex-England and Manchester United star David Beckham was full of praise for current Three Lions and Red Devils forward Marcus Rashford after his goal against Iran on Monday afternoon.
Gareth Southgate's men made light work of their first opponents in Qatar, running out 6-2 winners with goals from Jude Bellingham, a Bukayo Saka brace either side of Raheem Sterling's fantastic finish as well as second-half strikes from Rashford and Jack Grealish.
Rashford netted his goal in remarkable fashion, finding the net just 49 seconds after being introduced off the bench. The United talent would have been delighted to mark his first major England outing since his Euro 2020 penalty heartache by getting on the score-sheet.
The road to redemption for Rashford has been anything but easy, with plenty of injuries stalling his development and curtailing his route back to the top for club and country. However, things have started to turn around for the forward as of late, with the 25-year-old popping up to bag some vital goals for United this term.
It took him less than a minute to repay Southgate's faith and come the full-time whistle Rashford was straight onto Instagram to issue an update to his plethora of adoring fans.
"Words can’t express my happiness in scoring at the World Cup," the England ace wrote. "Great performance from the team see you guys on Friday [for the next game against the USA]."
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In the comments section of Rashford's heartwarming post was Beckham, who was also actually present for the contest at the Khalifa International Stadium. The ex-England captain has come under fire in recent weeks due to his divisive role as ambassador for the Qatar World Cup.
Beckham kept his message short and sweet as he wrote: "Great goal mate."
There has been intense focus on Beckham's role for the tournament, but the 47-year-old addressed some of the backlash last week as he talked up Qatar and how hosting this tournament will only help better as a nation.
Speaking via a video message at a youth festival in Doha, Beckham explained: "Qatar dreamed of bringing the World Cup to a place that it had never been before, but that it wouldn't be enough just to achieve things on the pitch. The pitch would be a platform for progress."
Beckham is likely to be present for England's next game as well, as the Three Lions go up against a nation close to the tournament ambassador's heart in the United States of America.
The football icon spent five years stateside with LA Galaxy and lives in the country to this day given he runs MLS outfit Inter Miami.
