10 stars every fan loves as ultimate good-guy Juan Mata celebrates birthday

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Manchester United star Juan Mata is celebrating his 33rd birthday.

While the Spaniard has only made 13 appearances for the Red Devils this season, he is regarded as one of the most loved players at the club.

This is due to his charitable work, having pledged one per-cent of his salary to Common Goal – an organisation he co-founded to support other football charities – since 2017.

And Mata has since encouraged stars such as Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin.

With the 33-year-old well and truly in football fans’ good books, Daily Star Sport has taken a look at the pantheon of philanthropic footballers he sits alongside…

David Beckham

Having given many memorable moments to United including a 1999 treble win, Golden Balls has continued to share his wealth since his 2013 retirement.

He became a UNICEF ambassador in 2005, a move which saw him follow in Lionel Messi’s footsteps.

While he continues to represent several other charities including Unite against AIDs and Malaria No More UK – even speaking at the United Nations in 2005 following his Goodwill Ambassador honour.

During the last season of his career with PSG, he donated all of his £3.4m salary to two French charities for children

Mesut Ozil

While the German ended up an unpopular figure with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, his creativity was admired throughout his seven-and-a-half seasons in north London.

And he made one of the most selfless gestures in football following his 2014 World Cup win Germany.

Ozil donated his estimated £240,000 in earnings to pay 23 sick children in host country Brazil to receive medical surgery.

While he has pledged money to victims of the Syrian civil war, shared time with child cancer patients and even saved Arsenal mascot Gunnersaurus’ job.

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  • Didier Drogba

    The forward had a place in Chelsea fans’ hearts since his arrival in 2004, scoring 164 goals across two stints – including that Champions League-winning penalty in 2012.

    But he did even more for his Ivory Coast national team, stepping in to finish a civil war in the country 17 years ago to get them to the 2006 World Cup.

    It put the 43-year-old on the list of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2010.

    While he has pledged money throughout his career to help, such as £3m from his Pepsi endorsement to build a hospital in home town Abidjan.

    Craig Bellamy

    The journeyman enjoyed an 18-year career which took him from Norwich to Cardiff, with title-winning spells at Celtic and Liverpool in-between.

    Following a run to the Champions League final with the Reds in 2007, an invitation to Sierra Leone exposed the Welshman to the aftermath of the civil war and poor living conditions.

    And it inspired him to spend £1.4m of his own money in setting up a foundation in his name, building a football academy which unfortunately stopped in 2017 due to financial irregularities.

    But Bellamy has continued to support a charitable trust at the hospital his three children were born at.

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    Marcus Rashford

    While Covid-19 stopped the footballing world in 2020, it did not stop United’s No.10 from his philanthropic work.

    Having set up a charity in 2019 to given feed homeless people in the UK, he wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling to end child poverty.

    When a debate was refused in Parliament, the 23-year-old did not take it lying down as he slammed the politicians and started a digital campaign.

    Gareth Barry

    Another Englishman who put time into charity work during his playing career was the Premier League title-winner with Manchester City.

    After being introduced to the Sun and Happiness charity foundation, he invested in supporting the organisation to help children struggling with poverty and illness.

    And it even saw Barry give away his Spanish villa in 2011 to provide living space for the homeless kids.

    With the most Premier League appearances in the top flight of all time, the ex-midfielder is truly on another level.

    Sadio Mane

    One third of Liverpool’s attacking trio is the Senegalese international has never forgotten his roots.

    While he has tasted Premier League and Champions League glory, Mane has paid for a hospital to be built in home town Bambaly and a secondary school and donations to help combat Covid-19.

    And the Premier League star has even donated his time at his local mosque, with footage emerging of him helping to clean the toilets.

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  • Mario Balotelli

    The Italian may have been a figure of controversy during his time at City but he is very different off the pitch.

    Balotelli, who has seven major honours during his career, donated a five-figure sum to Manchester Dog’s Home after a fire hit the building.

    While the 30-year-old, currently on the books at third-division Italian side Monza, reportedly gave “almost half” of his salary to charity during his hey days.

    Dirk Kuyt

    The Liverpool hero earned a reputation as one of most hard-working players for the club, making nearly 300 appearances in six seasons.

    After retiring with fourth-division Dutch side Quick Boys in 2018, the forward turned his full attention to his foundation which was set up in 2006.

    Helping children in Holland, Brazil, Nepal and Ghana, Kurt has helped hundreds of children in the developing world.

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    N’Golo Kante

    Of course there was going to be a place for Chelsea’s constantly-smiling midfielder in this list!

    While Kante has two Premier League wins and a World Cup medal in his cupboard, he remains a modest character who drives a Mini and reportedly refused tax breaks through taking his salary through an offshore company.

    The Frenchman left fans cooing after helping his country to the world title in 2018 as he was “too shy” to touch the cup, according to Olivier Giroud.

    Throw in his acceptance of an offer from strangers at a local mosque to eat dinner with them and watch Match of the Day, it makes Kante a very good guy.

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    • Manchester United FC
    • David Beckham
    • Mesut Ozil
    • Arsenal FC
    • Chelsea FC
    • Liverpool FC
    • Manchester City FC
    • Marcus Rashford
    • Sadio Mane

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