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          Man United's Marcus Rashford set to join soccer's writers club with first children's novel

          • Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerDec 2, 2021, 07:20 AM ET

          As a forward who scored on his first ever appearance as a Manchester United player, in the Premier League and for the England national as a teenager, Marcus Rashford is no stranger to daunting debuts.

          Now Rashford is making his first foray into the world of fiction writing, and is in the process of co-authoring his first children's novel.

          Rashford has already topped the best-seller charts with his first book "You Are A Champion," a self-help guide to life aimed at young people who wish to discover their full potential, which was released last year, while he also launched the Marcus Rashford Book Club in conjunction with the National Literacy Trust. The 24-year-old is now moving into the world of fiction with "The Breakfast Club Adventures," which is being co-written with author Alex Falase-Koya.

          It forms part of Rashford's ongoing push to help disadvantaged children by pressuring the UK government into providing free school meals to those in need, a campaign that earned the United star an MBE earlier this year.

          "The Breakfast Club Adventures" is aimed at children aged 8-11 and will follow the escapades of a young boy named -- you guessed it -- Marcus and his friends.

          According to publishers Macmillan Children's Books, the stories will draw from Rashford's own experiences and memories of his schooldays and the free breakfast club he used to attend in the morning before classes.

          "Breakfast Club guaranteed I had the best possible start to my day and welcomed me with open arms," Rashford wrote on Instagram. "It wasn't just about food. It was about forming friendships, about togetherness, about escape. It was where some of my greatest memories were made. I want to capture that feeling in my debut fiction book."

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          Rashford isn't the only notable footballer to have tried his hand at writing children's books, with several other players having moonlighted as authors.

          Theo Walcott

          Walcott, now back at boyhood club Southampton, published the first in the series of books that follow the exploits of a gifted young footballer called T.J. in 2010 while he was a rising star at Arsenal. Walcott has since penned four books in the series: "T.J. and the winning goal," "T.J. and the cup run," "T.J. and the penalty" and "T.J. and the hat-trick."

          Frank Lampard

          In a similar vein, former Chelsea and England midfielder Lampard can claim to have authored 18 books in his extensive "Frankie" series that document the fantastic adventures of the titular character and his footballing chums. Along with best friends Charlie and Louise (and his dog Max), Frankie has tangled with pirates, dinosaurs, cowboys and even ancient Egyptian mummies.

          Alex Morgan

          The USWNT star signed a deal in 2012 to author a series of books aimed at nurturing a love of football among kids and young girls in particular. According to Morgan, The Kicks championed "strong values, good work ethics, and a health-focused lifestyle."

          Tim Cahill

          Cahill used his own experiences of life as a professional footballer when he created the "Tiny Timmy" books which were aimed at helping soccer-mad Australian kids learn to read. The former Everton midfielder's debut, "Tiny Timmy Soccer Superstar!" was first published in 2015 and now there are 12 titles in the series.

          Neymar

          Neymar helped launch his very own comic book series in 2018 entitled "Inked: Art Animates Life" which followed a Brazilian footballer named Junior who just so happened to have a body covered in magical tattoos.

          Kylian Mbappe

          Perhaps inspired by his Paris Saint-Germain teammate, Mbappe recently released a graphic novel which tells the story of his journey to stardom called "Je m'appelle Kylian."