England's Marcus Rashford is poised to confront one of his closest childhood friends, Axel Tuanzebe, when the Three Lions take on DR Congo in the World Cup's last-32 stage on Wednesday.
Rashford, 28, is expected to start for England, while Tuanzebe, also 28, will feature in DR Congo's defense. The pair's friendship dates back to their days at Ashton on Mersey School in Sale, Manchester. They were also schoolmates with other future professional footballers James Dunne and Tosin Kehinde. Both Rashford and Tuanzebe progressed through the Manchester United academy and played for the club's first team. Rashford went on to make 426 appearances for Manchester United, whereas Tuanzebe played 37 times before a series of loan spells and his eventual transfer to Ipswich Town.
While both players represented England at youth levels, Tuanzebe made a significant international switch in 2024, opting to represent DR Congo. Born in Bunia, DR Congo, he moved to England with his parents in 2002. Tuanzebe has since become an integral part of the DR Congo defense, which also includes former England youth international Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Tuanzebe scored the decisive goal in DR Congo's 1-0 play-off victory against Jamaica in March, securing their first World Cup appearance since 1974. He has expressed that he hopes DR Congo's footballing success can offer a sense of joy to a nation grappling with decades of conflict.
"I'm not a politician, but the joy that I can bring to Congo is through football," Tuanzebe told Sky Sports. "For Congo, it's all about trying to take the right steps forward and thinking about how I can affect that personally. I can affect it through my platform of football."
He added, "That was the biggest point for me of playing for Congo. I think a lot of the political issues we've had in the country stem from how the country has been exploited over the years because it's rich in minerals. The world shouldn't be like this. I think we have enough intelligence, enough resources around the world to ensure that everybody lives a comfortable life. But it's the world we live in. So all I can do is put my two cents in there as a footballer, and hopefully it can help make a movement or spark a change into a better life and a better world. It does feel like a responsibility."
Tuanzebe has played every minute of DR Congo's World Cup campaign thus far. The team secured a 1-1 draw against Portugal, followed by a 1-0 loss to Colombia and a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan. He may now be tasked with marking his former classmate should Rashford be selected to start for England manager Thomas Tuchel on Wednesday.