Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin has rubbished the public perception that players should stick to football - and believes it is important that Premier League stars continue to speak out.
Bellerin, who has recently returned to action after a long-term injury lay-off, is one of the more charismatic footballers in the English top-flight and often uses social media to discuss various issues in society.
And the Spanish full-back feels that players are not given enough credit and are smart in their way, while also making a comparison to famous scientist Albert Einstein.
“Most footballers come from difficult backgrounds,” the right-back told the Guardian . “If your mum or dad is a banker or a doctor, then you’re hardly likely to become a footballer; your parents will most likely put you through university and you’ll have a career.
“My mum and dad raised me really well and I didn’t hang around the streets all day, but I’m still from a lower-class family. We are just as good at what we do.
"If Einstein were still alive, he probably wouldn’t have a clue about the offside rule. We have a different kind of intelligence.”
Bellerin also name-checked Manchester City Raheem Sterling, who he believes is spearheading a change on social media after speaking out on racist abuse.
“Footballers are still told to stick to football and not to talk about anything else,” he added. “For a lot of footballers, it’s easy to post boring stuff online after a game. I feel that we will never go forward if we keep doing that.
“We can use social media to show that we aren’t machines that play every Saturday. We have our passions and our problems just like everyone else.
"Look at what happened when Raheem Sterling wrote about racism on Instagram . It seemed to come out of nowhere, and it started a really important conversation.”
