Dear David,
I was surprised to hear some critics’ negative jibes at you revealing you would be donating all your wages from Paris Saint-Germain to charity.
So what if they describe it as a ‘public relations stunt’, the number of people the £3.4 million is going to benefit and the fact that the generous gesture came without the usual case of footballers causing a scandal and paying their way out of it, is refreshing.
Everyone is well aware how poor the ‘game that brings everyone together’ is at actually sharing its wealth. Players from all sorts of adverse backgrounds are given astronomical wages of over £200,000 a week, seemingly forgetting the poverty they have come from and are still reluctant to donate a significant amount to charity. So for you to donate a full contract’s worth of earnings to a children’s charity is remarkable.
Although some people will always look for the negative in people’s actions, it is a very admirable and selfless thing to do in this day and age. You continue to be a role model for both young and old a like.
Indeed, when it was announced you hadn’t been selected for the Olympics football team, you showed dignity and a willingness to support something more important than yourself, no matter how much you must have been disappointed by the news.
The way you have developed yourself from an initial empty-headed footballer celebrity, catching the media’s attention for your celebrity girlfriend and fashion sense, into an intelligent and mature father and sports ambassador has been a pleasure to watch over the years.
Regardless of the usual haters, I hope you continue to set a standard and positive example for all sportsmen and people a like. If only all footballers and club owners could take a leaf out of your book and give a little of their wealth to help others too.
