Marcus Rashford stars in Aldi’s Christmas advert with the return of Kevin the Carrot

Aldi has unveiled its full-length Christmas advert for 2021 featuring footballer Marcus Rashford as a radish and – to the delight of his adoring fans – Kevin the Carrot and his entire family.

The supermarket released a teaser advert starring a new character in the Aldi-verse, Ebanana Scrooge, hinting at a classic Christmas Carol storyline.

Alongside the advert, Aldi has launched a festive campaign to donate 1.8 million meals to families who need help across the UK over the Christmas period.

In the teaser, viewers were introduced to Ebanana Scrooge as a young fruit who has his dreams crushed after Santa Claus chose a mince pie instead of him one Christmas day.

The full advert shows him as an older, rotten banana, grumpy and “stuck in his ways”, as he walks through his Dickensian town lopping the heads off snowmen and being mean to the smaller locals.

But at night, he is visited by the Spirit of Christmas (Kevin the carrot in pyjamas and a white beard), who takes him on a journey to find the true meaning of Christmas.

Along the way, he meets Marcus Radishford who is “always helping children” and discovers a Christmas feast.

Fans of the Great British Bake Off will also be treated to a cameo of the gingerbread family that appears in Aldi’s sponsored adverts in the Christmas film.

The full advert will come as a relief to fans of Kevin the Carrot, who were worried he would be replaced by Ebanana Scrooge when Aldi released its teaser last week.

One person tweeted: “Where is Kevin? Is he safe? Is he alright?”

Another said: “I don’t know why I care as much as I do… call me sad but I am literally waiting on Kevin to make his appearance to kick off the Christmas vibes!”

The supermarket has partnered with Neighbourly, a platform that linked businesses to charities and other good causes in local communities, to donate surplus food to families in need.

Rashford, who has campaigned to increase support for vulnerable children throughout the pandemic, said: “As a family, we relied on the local food bank to get our Christmas dinner.

“To this day, I remember queuing outside that building with mum; mum feeling embarrassed that she might be recognised.

“It is with that in mind that I’m delighted to lend my support to the Aldi campaign. For many children in situations like mine growing up, there is very little expectation around this time of year; add the impact of the pandemic and the very least they deserve is a Christmas dinner.”

Sean McGinty, marketing director at Aldi UK, added: “Christmas is a time for hope, and we’re privileged to be working with Marcus, who is one of the most inspirational young people in the UK, having done so much in the past 18 months to help provide free school meals for children.

“At the same time, it wouldn’t be the festive season without Kevin the Carrot on our TV screens, and we’re thrilled to be bringing him back for the sixth year for his many fans, in what we think is his best Yuletide performance yet.

“We hope our campaign will remind everyone of the true meaning of Christmas,” he said.