Juan Mata makes charity pledge and urges fellow players to follow suit

Juan Mata has pledged to donate one per cent of his earnings to charity and is calling on his fellow footballers to match him.

The Manchester United midfielder is the first member of Common Goal, an initiative created by streetfootballworld, which supports more than 120 football charities around the world.

Mata said: "What we're trying to do is define a shared social agenda for football. Common Goal goes beyond individual brands and egos to deliver a greater impact.

"By making the pledge, we can form a lasting connection between football as a business and football as a tool for social change."

Mata recently visited one of the charities in Mumbai, India, and the 29-year-old Spaniard added: "One of the first lessons I learned in football is that it takes a team to win a game.

"I urge my fellow players to get involved."

The first target is to assemble a 'starting XI' of committed players, with the long-term goal of unlocking one per cent of the entire revenue from the football industry for grassroots football charities.