HE’S THE SPECIAL JUAN
Nice guy Mata pledges 1 per cent of his wages to charity and calls on the football world to follow
MANCHESTER United’s Juan Mata is to donate one per cent of his earnings to charity, and has challenged his fellow stars to make a collective stand to use the game’s billions for a greater good.
As the sporting world takes in Neymar’s £198million transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, with a further £31m a year in wages, Mata yesterday launched a new initiative called Common Goal aimed at helping underprivileged young people around the world.
‘Big signings are done every summer, and it seems to keep on growing,’ said the 29-year-old, who earns an estimated £140,000 a week at Old Trafford. ‘Just look at the last month and the fees paid and received by clubs.
‘The revenue generated so far in England from transfers, with a whole month of the market still to go, is around £ 1billion. Think what a difference just a fraction of the money could make to lives around the world? And that’s just a small part of what the football industry generates.’
The Spain international’s initial focus is on encouraging players to join him but his ideal is for football’s big- earning clubs and institutions to follow suit.
‘One of the first lessons I learned in football was that it takes a team to win a game,’ he said. ‘Through Common Goal we are creating a collaborative way for football to give back to society. I urge my fellow players to get involved. Football can change the life of millions of people around the globe. So let’s try to use that power for the better.’
Appropriately, it was in a Mumbai district used in the filming of Oscar-winning movie Slumdog
Millionaire when Mata focused on an idea to change lives.
The Spaniard was doing what he does best: kicking a football around with children on the red, dusty, makeshift pitches of the Ambedkar Nagar slum.
His presence was not a token gesture for self-gratification on social media. Mata’s moral compass pointed him in this direction to help the children get their lives on track. The United midfielder is vocal in bringing change and is willing to put his money where his mouth is.
‘Travelling to a place like India this summer, where you can find both rich and poor extremes, makes you realise even more that the world could be a more balanced place,’ he said.
Mata was in India as an ambassador for Streetfootballworld with co-founder Jurgen Griesbeck. It is a charity that uses football to tackle the social challenges faced in some of the world’s harshest places. In the Mumbai slums it is used to bring children together and then educate them about hygiene, the danger of substance abuse and child marriages.
‘Football has tremendous power as a force for social good on a global scale,’ he said. ‘I’m convinced that Common Goal can make real impact because of its collective approach. Also, to do it with the support and experience of Streetfootballworld, which is already working in the areas, adds expertise.’
It is clear the Spaniard is not a footballer content to sit on his millions. A well-educated man with degrees in marketing and sports science, he has been candid about the ‘ obscene, unfathomable’ amounts of money footballers, including himself, can earn. He accepts some players live in a proverbial bubble and would benefit from visits to places such as Ambedkar Nagar.
‘It undoubtedly opens your mind,’ he said. ‘Firstly it brings home, first hand, that so many people on this planet live in disadvantaged circumstances.
‘Also, it confirms your belief in the power of football, how it is already used as a tool for social change and improves the quality of life of many. It would be a very interesting experience for every person, footballers included, to go on a trip like this and get involved in something similar.’
At 29, Mata (right) is a senior member of United’s squad. Throughout a career at Real Madrid’s academy, Valencia and Chelsea he has witnessed the good and the bad side of young talents getting rich quick. At least from an early age the Spaniard had the benefit of sound family advice. His father Juan Sr was a left winger with Spanish side Burgos. ‘There’s nothing wrong with buying a nice car, clothes or a watch when you sign your first professional contract, if that’s what makes you happy at that moment,’ said Mata. ‘The problem comes when the amount of spending exceeds your income, or you just think about the present, without realising that the money you earn while you play football will represent a big part of your future. There are a lot of people that try to take advantage of footballers in different ways. ‘But luckily, I think the situation is improving — although it could be still much better — and clubs are giving more advice at an early stage to the players. Agents play a very important role in that sense, as do family.
‘It’s really important for the clubs to keep young players’ feet on the ground and keep them on a good path. Due to the competitiveness in the professional football world, clubs are forced to pay big amounts to young players if they want to keep them, which is not ideal for the development of the player or the person.
‘That’s why my advice to young players would be to work with professional advisers who can organise the present and future in a much better way and avoid the big financial problems that sadly appear to occur more often than they should.
‘Problems occur due to lack of decent advice received by young people who are not ready to handle these amounts of money so early. That’s the advice I got from my family.’
His family can take great pride in the man of conscience Mata has become. Engaging, well- mannered, he is popular among his peers.
Not one for nightclubs, as he does on the pitch Mata prefers the cultural approach. Photography is a passion, as is art and contemporary classical piano.
‘Football is much more than a sport. It really is a tool to change the life of millions of people around the globe. So let’s try to use that power for the better. ’