Just when you thought footballers were all the same, a bunch of overpaid, womanisers with more money than brain cells, along comes Manchester United’s Juan Mata, who is trying to change perceptions.
Mata is spearheading a campaign called, ‘Common Goal’. His aim is to get professional footballers to give 1% of their whopping salaries to charity. The only problem is, the idea seems to have gone down like a David Moyes team talk, with only a handful of players willing to sign up.
With the amount of money in football these days, the campaign could perhaps end world hunger, or at least wipe off the national debt and still have some left for a 1 billion pound deal with the DUP.
Footballers should be role models for the younger generation. Show them that, you can be rich and famous but still have a sense of responsibility, to support those who are less fortunate. And to be fair some of them are doing a good job.
So far German defender Mats Hummels, Italian centre back Georgio Chillni and USA women internationals Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan have enlisted in Mata’s cause. They were joined last week, by Bournemouth’s Charlie Daniels and Swansea’s Alfie Mawson, as the first Premier League players to pledge their funds.
Other players also do their bit. Whilst at PSG, all round nice guy, David Beckham, donated his entire wage to a Parisian orphanage. Wilfrid Zaha donates 10% of his salary to charity, Christiano Ronaldo tops the list of the world’s most charitable sports stars and there are a few footballers ‘Foundations’ set up to help others. But why aren’t more footballers’ queueing up to part with their ‘hard’ earned cash?
Players should be breaking down Mata’s door, trying to sign up to his programme. In a world where Footballer’s aren’t the most popular kids in class, it seems they aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer either. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE PEOPLE LIKE YOU! Maybe they like being disliked, as long as they go home to their Mansions, watch their 70” TV’s and sleep with their brothers wife, they’re happy.
Possibly the most shocking aspect of this, is the fact that none of Mata’s teammates have registered an interest in supporting his charity. That has to be quite an awkward dressing room to be a part of. It seems Pogba, Lukaku anf Lingard have plenty of money for Louis Vitton washbags not for charitable causes.
Mata should be given enormous credit and I believe his charity will grow, it might just take a while for footballers to cotton onto the mutual benefits. They even get to choose the charity they want to support, so if they want to donate to ‘epileptic kittens’ or ‘the young tortoise foundation’ they are free to do so.
Within my local club, Newcastle United Manager, Rafa Benitez and Captain Jamaal Lascalles are active in the community and do their fair share for charity, but what about the rest of the multi-millionaires? It’s about time they started giving back and Mata’s campaign is a great way to do so.
As a pledge of support, I will start donating 1% of my wage to local charities, this will only raise about £3 a month, but you have to practice what you preach. So, well done Juan and I hope to see more following your example.
