By Ellis Lander
In a world of money, mansions and flash cars, footballers often have a very negative stereotype placed on them, mainly influenced by the media. This weekend, we saw Alexis Sanchez take selfies with the excited West Ham ball boys, and even give his shirt to one of the lucky lads after his hat-trick at the London Stadium, which showed that despite the way many are portrayed in the media, there are certainly some nice guys in football. Here are some of the more kind hearted footballers around.
Embed from Getty ImagesJack Wilshere
Jack Wilshere has received his fair share of negative press down the years. He’s been kicked out of nightclubs, caught spitting, and caught smoking during his injury plagued career. But the side of Jack Wilshere that the media don’t always show is a positive one. In 2011 he struck up a friendship with six year old football fan Jack Marshall, who was suffering with a brain tumour. He frequently visited the youngster in hospital and even invited Jack and his family to his house for barbecues. Later that year, Wilshere became a St John Ambulance ambassador, taking part in a series of short films which encourages viewers to learn basic first aid skills that could save lives.
Embed from Getty ImagesJuan Mata
Juan Mata is certainly one of the more well-known nice guys in football, and has shown great maturity on and off the pitch during his time in England, a trait that has gained him huge popularity amongst Manchester United fans and players. He is one of the rare few that openly speak about his views on the money footballers earn, he recently said, “it’s like we live in a bubble. Compared to the rest of society, we earn a ridiculous amount. It’s unfathomable… compared to 99.9% of Spain and the rest of the world, I earn a silly amount.” Back in October, as the United players trudged out of Old Trafford to board their team bus after a disappointing 1-1 draw with Stoke City, Mata made the bus wait as the Spaniard spotted young United fan Jon Nield, who has cerebral palsy. Mata spoke to the lad and posed for a photo with him before getting on the bus, but that wasn’t the end as the Midfielder then contacted the club the next day to arrange free tickets to a match for Jon and his family.
Embed from Getty ImagesMario Balotelli
Despite the never ending list of controversial incidents Mario Balotelli has been involved in, he certainly has a nice side behind his ‘bad boy’ persona. He is a huge dog lover and during his time in Manchester, adopted two strays and donated a five figure sum to a Manchester dogs home that saw 60 dogs killed in a fire at the home. He was also said to have been walking past a school in Manchester when he stepped in to defend a young lad who was being bullied, and he also once walked into a pub and paid for everyone’s drinks.
Embed from Getty ImagesJonas Olsson
During his eight years at West Brom, Jonas Olsson has established himself as one of the most popular characters amongst players and fans alike. In 2012, after his daughter Iris survived being born seven weeks early, Olsson auctioned off a variety of his match shirts and boots, which raised over £15,000 which he donated to the Winnicott Foundation, which helps raise awareness for premature births.
Embed from Getty ImagesJohn Terry
John Terry has certainly been involved in a variety of high profile incidents during his time at Chelsea, but it’s his charitable side that rarely gets a mention. He has done lots of work for charities such as Great Ormond Street Hospital, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Small Steps Project, and earlier this year, paid for the costs of young Chelsea fan Tommi Miller’s funeral, after he lost his battle with leukaemia.
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