Eni Aluko has become the latest high-profile footballer to sign up for the Common Goal initiative and will donate 1% of her earnings to a collective fund that invests in community initiatives involving football around the world.
The Juventus striker, who has amassed over 100 caps for England, was unveiled as the latest recruit to the organisation by the former Manchester United player Eric Cantona at the Web Summit tech conference in Lisbon on Tuesday. Cantona became the first Common Goal mentor in October 2018 and Aluko herself is the 135th football player or manager to join the movement.
“In football we can’t achieve anything alone, and the same goes for social change – it’s a team game,” said Aluko “Only together can we change the world. Now is the time for us all to unite behind a shared vision for football and show how together we can shape the future of the world.”
Aluko was also welcomed by the Juventus men’s captain, Giorgio Chiellini, another early member of Common Goal. Both players won the Serie A with their respective Juventus teams last season.
Chiellini said: “Our contribution individually can seem so small in relation to the scale of problems facing the world. But I think together we can really help the younger generation of players to understand what the world needs, what the problems for the future might be. Leaders like Eni, Jürgen Klopp and Megan Rapinoe are showing what can be done and are helping us create a big, powerful platform for the future.”
Aluko, who is also a regular television presenter and columnist with the Guardian, said: “I always felt I needed to use my voice. I’ve been personally affected by racism but, like many other athletes, I want to be able to use my voice to solve this problem in football, and society, because with Common Goal if we address something in football it will have a knock-on effect on society.”
Common Goal’s CEO, Jürgen Griesbeck, said: “Eni is one of the most powerful voices in football and is showing how football can be a positive force to tackle many of the challenges we face as humanity, such as racism, division and inequality.
“Like so many other players, Eniola already has many social causes and philanthropic initiatives she supports, and yet she understands that these are perfectly compatible with, and in fact benefit from, a shared commitment to Common Goal. Like football, social impact is a team game and we are inspired to have another powerful female leader join the most diverse team in football.”
