10 Footballers Who Have Given Back
Looking at players across the beautiful game making a difference throughout the world
In the media, we so often see the bad side of what football has to offer, the inequality, the corruption, the sports-washing, and the injuries, among a variety of other things. However, many footballers choose to use their wealth and influence to truly make the world a better place. From supporting campaigns for equality to aiding those in poverty, many have made a massive impact beyond the scope of the pitch. In order to shed some light on the positive impact that many players have on the world, Football Wrapped is teaming up with The Good Football in order to highlight some footballers who have done their fair share of good in the world. Without further ado here are ten footballers who are making a difference…
Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba is an icon on the pitch from THAT goal vs. Bayern Munich to netting the UCL-clinching spot kick; the Ivorian has had his fair share of iconic football moments. Off the pitch, Drogba has done plenty, including starting his own foundation (The Didier Drogba Foundation) in 2007. The primary goal of the organization is to provide those in vulnerable regions in Africa with the resources they need to improve their quality of life. One of the foundation's missions is to emphasize education and provide it to children in need. Elsewhere, Drogba helped to build over five hospitals in major African Cities. The first of these hospitals was built in Abidjan (his hometown) and was funded in part by Drogba using the 4.5 million he received as part of an endorsement deal with Pepsi. In other areas, Drogba has also helped to fight diseases such as Malaria and cardiovascular diseases by providing resources and spreading awareness. Finally, in 2021, the Chelsea Legend became the WHO Ambassador for Sports and Health, where he used sports to provide opportunities to underprivileged children.
Asisat Oshoala
Asisat Oshoala is a women’s footballer currently playing for Bay FC and the Nigerian women’s national team. Her trophy cabinet is extensive, including African Women’s Footballer of the Year and the UEFA Champions League. Off the pitch, she has become involved in various causes such as education, promoting women’s football, and youth development. Oshoala started her own foundation in her own name. The mission statement of the foundation is to empower African girls through football and education. The foundation has begun hosting an annual tournament called Asisat Oshoala Foundation Football4girls in Lagos. Oshoala promotes an open dialogue between parents and children about kids following their passions and understanding how important sports and education can be for youth.
Marcus Rashford
Rashford has had his fair share of moments on the field, from netting a last-minute penalty against PSG to scoring 17 goals in the Premier League in the 2022/23 season. Off the field, the Englishman has contributed a ton to the community, such as signing an open letter to the U.K. government demanding an end to childhood poverty. The winger started the #MakeTheUTurn campaign (aimed at providing meals to those in need) and was able to provide over 1.3 million meals to children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rashford was awarded an Honorary Doctorate for his work addressing childhood poverty. The Manchester United forward has also been involved with addressing poverty at large and helped create the In The Box campaign in 2019, which helped provide resources to homeless people during the holiday season. In 2020, Rashford helped give away over 100,000 books to those in need, and in October of 2023, he launched a programme that uses football to positively impact kids in Machester in partnership with Nike and Football Beyond Borders.
Juan Mata
Juan Mata is the confounder of an organization called Common Goal, alongside Jürgen Griesbeck. Common Goal’s mission is to use football as a force for positive change. The organization focuses on helping those in need at a community level but also collaborates with numerous organizations such as Banco Santander and EA Sports. Common Goal hosts events such as “Every Child is a Champion” (alongside LEGO). The event emphasizes the power of football and play to help build a better future for youth. All members of Common Goal donate 1% of their income to help finance the organization’s projects across the globe. Juan Mata has visited the OSCAR foundation in India to see how they are making a difference. Lastly, in 2019, Juan Mata released his autobiography Suddenly a Footballer: My Story and pledged to donate 99% of the profits from the book to Common Goal.
Leah Williamson
The England’s w’s star has been a champion in promoting women's football as well as health. She has helped provide numerous young girls with opportunities. Alongside her fellow Lionness, Williamson successfully petitioned the U.K. government to offer equal access to boys and girls football. As a result, schools are now mandated to require equal access to boys' and girls' football while providing a minimum of 2 hours of physical education. Williamson has also been working with Save the Children for 10 years, and in 2019, she helped start a new branch of the foundation called Coaching for Life, which aims to give children the skills they need. Specifically, it has helped many young girls in Indonesia.
Mesut Özil
Mesut Ozil is an icon on the pitch, from the Arsenal days that will go down in history to the epic “bounce pass”. Yet the German has also done a fair bit of work off the field including helping fund the surgeries for many children in need. Ozil has donated to the BigShoe project which aims to provide medical services to children in disadvantaged communities. The German used some of his World Cup winnings to finance surgeries for children in Brazil. Additionally, Özil and his wife donated to 16 refugee camps in Turkey and Syria after their wedding. Their contribution provided food to about 100,000 people. Finally, Ozil serves as an ambassador for the Rays of Sunshine, a foundation based in the UK that aims to improve the lives of children suffering from illnesses.
Sadio Mane
Never forget where you come from. This message seems to resonate with Sadio Mane as the Senegalese forward has used his wealth and influence to help improve the community he grew up in. Among these efforts is providing 500k in funds to help build a hospital and giving money to Senegal’s government to help provide a new school as well as laptops. Additionally, Mane lives an extremely modest lifestyle and owns almost no luxury items. He has also used some of his salary to help fund a universal income program in his hometown, Bambali, Senegal. The program helps provide $76 a month to residents (where the average salary is only $150 a month) Mane himself grew up in poverty and wants to help improve the lives of children who are currently in the same state.
Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian winger has done a great deal for charity across various fields with an emphasis on work in Egypt. For instance, after a terrorist attack destroyed a building in his home country the Liverpool forward pledged 3 million to help repair it. He also donated money to the Tahya Masr fund to help build a sewage system for his home village and provide clean water to those in need. Finally, Salah is an ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) where he works in their Instant Network Program, which provides digital learning to young refugees. The program has already aided more than 86,500 students since its inception.
Hector Bellerin
Bellerín serves as an ambassador for the Heart4More Foundation, which promotes awareness about cardiac health through workshops. During the pandemic, the former Arsenal right-back helped raise £100,000 to help fight it. He has also worked with the One Tree Planted foundation in the past and pledged to plant 3000 trees for every Arsenal victory. You can read more about what Bellerín has done here in Heloisa’s The Good Footballers.
Wilfred Zaha
The winger known for his days at Crystal Palace now plays for Galatasaray S.K. in Türkiye and has truly given back for the entirety of his career. In 2017, Zaha set up a foundation in his name and since then he has pledged 10% of his salary to the organization. These funds are used to allow the operation of a children’s shelter in Ivory Coast, which is run by Zaha’s sister, and Zaha Academy which allows children in Yamoussoukro (the capital of Ivory Coast) to participate in sports.
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I don't know if the list was limited to footballers that are still alive, but another good example is Socrates, who was the leader of a movement to promote democracy against the military dictatorship in Brazil in the 1980's.
Good article, very interesting. Mane, has done great things, but in his thirties he married an 18 year old, that he was pursuing since she was a child.