Marcus Rashford today said he was left 'close to tears' after well-wishers covered graffiti sprayed on his Manchester mural with loving notes in the wake of his Euro 2020 penalty heartache.
The England star, 23, penned an emotional open letter to England fans apologising for his penalty shoot-out miss against Italy at Wembley last night.
The striker, who was left visibly distraught after his penalty hit the post, also paid tribute to his teammates and vowed to 'come back stronger' after yesterday's heartbreaking end to Euro 2020.
But the star - who faced a barrage of racist abuse from vile online trolls in the wake of last night's defeat, reserved a special mention for those who had stepped in to restore his mural on the wall of the Coffee House Cafe in his home town of Withington.
The mural was last night defaced, in what is being probed as a hate crime by police, with derogatory comments about Rashford and included the words 'sh**e' and 'b*****d'. Further graffiti said 'f**k Sancho' - a reference to Rashford's Three Lions teammate Jadon Sancho, who also missed a penalty.
However fans quickly rushed to the site to hide the abusive messages, before placing hearts over the covering.
Speaking about their support in an open letter posted on his Twitter account, the star said: 'The messages I have received have been positively overwhelming and seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears.
'The communities that always wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up. I'm a 23-year-old black man from Withington and Wythenshawe, South Manchester. If I have nothing else, I have that.'
Earlier in the open letter he apologised for his penalty miss against Italy, saying 'I felt as though I'd let everyone down'.
'It's been playing over in my head over and over since and there's probably not a word to quite describe how it feels,' he said. 'Final. 55-years. 1 penalty. History. All I can say is sorry. I wish it had gone differently.'
Marcus Rashford today said he was 'close to tears' after well-wishers covered graffiti sprayed on his Manchester mural with notes of support in the wake of his Euro 2020 penalty heartache
A local resident puts love hearts and slogans on the plastic that covers offensive graffiti on the vandalised mural of Manchester United striker and England player Marcus Rashford
The striker also praised his teammates, saying it was the 'best camps I've experienced' and adding that an 'unbreakable brotherhood' had been formed.
He also ended on a positive note, vowing to bounce back from the heartache, saying: 'For all the kind messages, thank you. I'll be back stronger. We'll be back stronger.'
It comes as Greater Manchester Police today called the defacing of the mural a 'racially aggravated' act of vandalism.
In a statement, GMP slammed the 'racially aggravated' and 'disgraceful' damage, adding: 'Hate crime in any form is completely unacceptable and not welcome here in our city.' The force was alerted at around 2.50am this morning. No arrests have been made and inquiries are ongoing.
Chief Superintendent Paul Savill said: 'This is disgraceful behaviour and will absolutely not be tolerated. Greater Manchester prides itself on being made up from a number of diverse communities, and hate crime in any form is completely unacceptable and not welcome here in our city.
'GMP takes crimes of this nature very seriously and an investigation has been launched. If anyone has any information that could help us to identify this offender please do not hesitate to speak to police.'
The artwork was created by Akse, a French-born graffiti artist, in November 2020. A painting of Rashford appears alongside the phrase: 'Take pride in knowing that your struggle will play the biggest role in your purpose'.
The Football Association has condemned the 'disgusting behaviour' of a small number of mindless social media users who aimed abuse at players in the wake of England's loss to the Italians.
England manager Gareth Southgate this morning described abuse of Rashford, Sancho and Bukayo Saka as 'unforgivable' after they were targeted by racists overnight after they missed penalties. He spoke out after Prince William and Prime Minister Boris Johnson denounced the racist abuse.
Manchester residents are redecorating a mural honouring England footballer Marcus Rashford with hearts and messages calling the player a 'hero' and a 'role model'
Ed Wellard, from Withington, tapes bin liners across offensive wording on the mural of Manchester United striker and England player Marcus Rashford on the wall of the Coffee House Cafe in Withington
A mural honouring England star Marcus Rashford was vandalised less than an hour after last night's Euro 2020 final defeat
Further graffiti said 'f**k Sancho' - a reference to Rashford's Three Lions teammate Jadon Sancho, who also missed a penalty in the biggest game for England since the 1966 World Cup
Rashford reacts after hitting the post in their team's third penalty in a penalty shoot-out
Southgate left little doubt of his feelings towards so-called supporters who had fired racist remarks at his team. He said: 'It's just not what we stand for. We have been a beacon of light in bringing people together in people being able to relate to the national team, and the national team stands for everybody and so that togetherness has to continue.
'We have shown the power our country has when it does come together and has that energy and positivity together. It's my decision who takes the penalties, it's not a case of players not
