Manchester United’s Spanish international Juan Mata has promised to give 1 per cent of his earnings to charity and wants all fellow professional footballers to do the same.
“I am launching something that I hope will change the world, even if only in some small way,” he announced on The Players Tribune website (www.theplayerstribune.com).
Mata said he would donate the money to Common Goal, a fund run by the charity streetfootballworld that supports football charities around the world.
“I’m asking my fellow professionals to join me in forming a Common Goal Starting XI. Together we can create a movement based on shared values that can become integral to the whole football industry — forever.
“I’m leading this effort, but I don’t want to be alone.”
Mata, who said he was shocked by the poverty he saw on a visit to Mumbai, India, said the long-term aim was for the entire football industry to contribute 1 per cent of revenue to grassroots football charities.
The United midfielder is estimated to earn £7 million a year.
Neymar, the Brazilian who moved from Barcelona to Paris St Germain this week, has been reported as earning more than £40 million annually.