Days after Neymar’s world record £198million move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, German footballer Matts Hummels has taken a different tack by donating one percent of his earnings to charity.
The move comes after Juan Mata challenged all of his professional footballers to do so, with the Manchester United midfielder having launched an initiative called ‘Common Goal’ aimed at helping underprivileged youngsters across the globe.
Hummels was quick to jump on board, saying: “ “As soon as I heard of Common Goal I knew this was a chance for football to improve our world, and I wanted to be part of it. I feel we could be doing more to connect the increasing revenues in football to some kind of deeper purpose.”
“This is what struck me about Common Goal. Through the one per cent pledge, we’re building a bridge between football and its social impact around the world” Hummels added.
Mata described the Bayern Munich defender as the “perfect team-mate” and hoped his decision to join would encourage more players to follow suit.
“I don’t actually know Mats personally, so I was pleasantly surprised when he contacted me to talk Common Goal. He really gets what we’re trying to achieve and is the perfect teammate to have on-board at this early stage” Mata said.
“The fact that a World Cup holder, at the peak of his career with one of the biggest clubs on the planet, has chosen to make the pledge shows the power and magic of what we’re doing. The reception to Common Goal has been amazing so far and I have no doubt Mats’ involvement will inspire more players to join.”
Mata revealed Hummels’ commitment via a video he posted on twitter on Thursday.
by 