Marcus Rashford will return tonight to a stadium that holds many fond memories for him.
On May 4, 2017, he silenced Balaídos with a stunning free-kick (67') that gave José Mourinho's Manchester United a 1-0 victory over Eduardo Berizzo's Celta Vigo in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals. In the return leg at Old Trafford, the current Barcelona forward provided the cross for Marouane Fellaini's goal (17'), which Facundo Roncaglia equalized (85'), but the Red Devils secured their place in the Stockholm final, where they defeated Frenkie de Jong's Ajax (2-0). Rashford, now wearing the Barcelona number 21, came on in the 82nd minute and was substituted in the 84th minute after goals from Paul Pogba (18') and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (48').
Both that day in Vigo and today for Barça's visit, Marián Mouriño, president of Celta since 2023 when she was 48, will be in the VIP box. The daughter of her predecessor, Carlos Mouriño, confessed to MD that she kept the signed jersey Rashford wore with the number 19. Although the Englishman prevented Celta from reaching their first major continental final since the Intertoto Cup they won in 2000 against Zenit Saint Petersburg.
Marian Mouriño is the only female president of a La Liga club today. Previous presidents were Teresa Rivero (Rayo Vallecano 1994-2011), Ana Urquijo (Athletic 2006-07), María de la Peña Berraondo (Real Sociedad 2006), Victoria Pavón (Leganés 2008-22), and Lay Hoon Chan (Valencia 2014-17 and 2022-25).
The president of Celta Vigo, who made her debut last August at a Europa League draw and met the day before with many other European football executives at Sporting Monte-Carlo, has extensive experience in the business world. Having lived in Mexico with her family since she was four, she attended high school in Orlando and earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Miami before completing a Master's degree in Marketing. Her first experience at Celta Vigo was as Marketing Director from 2005 to 2009. Her father became president of the club in 2006.
After the death of her brother Juan Camilo in a plane crash while serving as Mexico's Minister of the Interior, she returned to Mexico to take over, along with her other brother Carlos, the management of Grupo Energético del Sureste (GES), owned by her father and focused on energy, hospitality, and food production and distribution. She was also the founder and CEO of the Lagas gas station group (2014-19) and a regional advisor for BBVA Mexico (2016-19).
With her excellent people skills and a charm that has deeply resonated with Celta Vigo fans, she revealed to the club's media outlets that she had her first date at Balaídos with businessman Miguel Álvarez, whom she later married and with whom she has three children. She is also a member of the Board of Directors, as is Antón Álvarez, father of C. Tangana, who was commissioned by Marián Mouriño to create the successful new anthem ('Oliveira Dos Cen Anos') for Celta Vigo's centenary. The club is currently undergoing renovations at Balaídos to increase its capacity from 30,000 to 43,000, with the dream of hosting World Cup matches. In 1982, the stadium hosted all three group stage matches in Italy, which went on to win its third World Cup title.