Sports stars who have put their principles first and not been afraid to make waves...

COLIN KAEPERICK

Once a revered and much-vaunted quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Kaepernick was frozen out by the Californian franchise in 2016 for continually kneeling during the US National Anthem in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Kaepernick is now a free agent though his protests have since been replicated by many other players.

JUAN MATA

The generous Manchester United winger didn’t keep his feelings to himself when he blasted his fellow Premier League footballers for keeping their wallets in their pockets and not contributing to the povertyfighting Common Goal charity.

GERARD PIQUE

The Barcelona defender was jeered by Spain fans at an open training session for the national team following October’s independence referendum in Catalonia. The centre-half, who had admitted to voting in the referendum, was previously targeted by Spain supporters and insisted he would quit the side after the 2018 World Cup in Russia.