Should footballers donate 1 per cent of their earnings to charity?

Mata has promised to give 1 per cent of his earnings to charity and wants all fellow professional footballers to do the same

Manchester United's Spanish international Juan Mata has promised to give 1 per cent of his earnings to charity and wants all fellow professional footballers to do the same.

"I am launching something that I hope will change the world, even if only in some small way," he announced on The Players Tribune website.

Mata said he would donate the money to Common Goal, a fund run by the charity streetfootballworld that supports football charities around the world.

"I’m asking my fellow professionals to join me in forming a Common Goal Starting XI. Together we can create a movement based on shared values that can become integral to the whole football industry — forever.

"I'm leading this effort, but I don’t want to be alone."

Mata, who said he was shocked by the poverty he saw on a visit to Mumbai, India, said the long-term aim was for the entire football industry to contribute 1 per cent of revenue to grassroots football charities.

The United midfielder is estimated to earn seven million pounds ($9.13 million) a year.

Neymar, the Brazilian who moved from Barcelona to Paris St Germain this week, has been reported as earning more than 40 million pounds annually.