Man United star Juan Mata pledges 1pc of his salary to charity - and calls on fellow footballers to join him

Juan Mata will donate one per cent of his salary to a charity supporting global football initiatives. CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

Callum Davis

Juan Mata has confirmed his status as the nicest guy in football by pledging to donate one per cent of his salary to a charity that supports global football initiatives for disadvantaged children.

Mata has called on his fellow footballers to join him in supporting Common Goal: a movement in which players pledge one cent of their salaries to a collective fund that supports football charities around the world.

“What we’re trying to do is define a shared social agenda for football,” said Mata.

“Common Goal goes beyond individual brands and egos to deliver a greater impact. By making the pledge, we can form a lasting connection between football as a business and ootball as a tool for social change.”

Mata spoke about the new initiative during his recent visit to the slums of Mumbai, India.

“One of the first lessons I learned in football is that it takes a team to win a game”, said Mata.

“We live by this mantra on the pitch, yet we rarely see it play out in the social impact space, which is dominated by individual initiatives.

"Through Common Goal we’re creating a collaborative way for football to give back to society. I urge my fellow players to get involved.”

Mata is now looking to assemble a ‘Starting XI’ of likeminded players who make the 1% pledge and lead the movement forward.

“Players are a great place to start because they’re the stars of the show,” explains Jürgen Griesbeck, the CEO of streetfootballworld, an award-winning NGO that supports more than 120 football charities around the world.

“But this is the first step of a giant global endeavour. Imagine the entire industry uniting in the name of social change. Together we can usher in a new era for football and forge a deeper sense of purpose at the heart of the game.”