Marcus Rashford unintentionally generated anger from his own fans after posting a tweet. The young English striker used his Twitter account to congratulate Leeds United on the promotion, making the following message public: “As a United fan, I am happy to see Leeds United back in the Premier League, where they belong. Congratulations.”
These words, which in another context would have been merely a congratulation, caused a dust storm among the followers of the Mancunian group. So much that Rashford had to remove the tweet within minutes of posting it because of the criticism it received. And it is that, without doing it in a premeditated way, the attacker of the Red devils He made the mistake of adding fuel to the fire to a rivalry that comes from far, far away. Specifically, from the Middle Ages.
In the 15th century, the War of the Roses was fought in the United Kingdom, a warlike conflict between the county of Yorkshire, to which Leeds belongs, and the county of Lancashire, in which Manchester is located. This very bloody dispute sparked a rivalry that lasts in our times and is felt in the environment every time the Mancunians visit Ellan Road or the Peacocks, nickname that is coined to Leeds, step on Old Trafford.
Interestingly, Yorkshire was nicknamed “the white rose” and Lancashire was given the nickname “the red rose”, colors that Leeds and Manchester United wear, respectively. However, the reason that the shirt that the team led by Marcelo Bielsa is white is because in the sixties he was inspired by the colors of Real Madrid, a team that at that time did not stop adding European Cups to their showcases.
This year, after 16 seasons, we will be able to enjoy this derby in the Premier League again, rated one of the toughest in England. Both teams have not faced each other in official competition for nine years. The last of these clashes occurred in the Carabao Cup of the year 2011. The match, which took place on Ellan Road, ended with a 0-3 win in favor of the Red devils, with Michael Owen signing a double and Ryan Giggs closing the score.
However, it was not the last derby to be played, since They were measured in the last preseason. In Perth, Australia, United massacred Leeds 4-0 with goals from Greenwood, Phil Jones, Martial and Rashford himself, who through his Twitter has remembered old quarrels. What is certain is that, beyond social networks, in the coming season these duels will cease to be part of the memory of the English fan and will again be two of the hottest confrontations in the Premier League.