Marcus Rashford has announced he is now engaged to marry his long-time girlfriend, Lucia Loi.
The Manchester United star posted a photograph on his Instagram, revealing how he set the stage for the proposal in Los Angeles.
The pair are seen sharing a kiss in front of a giant heart-shaped arch and a floral bed made of hundreds of white roses, surrounded by fairy lights and numerous column candles.
Rashford, 24, captioned the romantic picture with the date they got engaged, Tuesday 24 May. He also tagged Loi and added a white heart emoji.
The couple began dating when they were still in school, but reportedly split up briefly last February. However, they were back together by January 2022, when Rashford posted a series of photographs of the couple together with the caption: “Through thick and thin.”
Rashford’s teammates and other peers in football flooded his post with messages of congratulations and well wishes.
The official Manchester United Instagram account wrote: “So happy for you both!”
Manchester United defender Ro-Shaun Williams hinted that he had been there to celebrate the couple’s engagement, commenting: “What a night brother.”
Kidderminster Harriers midfielder Devonte Redmond sent “massive congrats” to both Rashford and Loi, while fellow Manchester United star James Garner commented with a red heart emoji and added: “Congratulations bro.”
The Sun quoted a source as saying that Rashford had been planning to propose to Loi “for a while” and made sure the occasion was “extremely romantic”.
“Lucia has been a big part of Marcus’ life since school, offering stability, a sense of belonging, a relatability, and assurance that can be rare to find in this world,” the source was quoted as saying.
“This is a very special, welcomed moment for them both and everyone wished them nothing but the best.”
In 2020, Rashford became an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list after he successfully campaigned for the government to allow more than a million children to claim free school meal vouchers amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
He was awarded the MBE by Prince William at Windsor Castle in November 2021. The footballer said he was “incredibly honoured and humbled”.
