They got together quickly to form a multi-million pound plan to help the real heroes.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was at the heart of a conference call between all 20 of the Premier League yesterday.
Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire had already messaged all of his team mates to see if they would be willing to donate a percentage of their salary to charity.
As revealed by Mirror Sport , Maguire has suggested 30 per cent to the United players which means their contribution will run into millions and that just epitomised the collective spirit within football.
Henderson wants no credit for his part in setting it up the fund but wants to help the NHS, NHS workers and Maguire also believes it is important that a club the size of United sets the tone and right example.
The talks have already got as far as discussing setting up an account with banks and how the money should be distributed and how cash should be paid in.
The players were fed up of taking a collective battering from an outdated perception they are greedy and not willing to “do their bit” as Health Minister Matt Hancock had suggested.
They were even angry at the Professional Footballers’ Association statement which was painfully wordy and took so long to get to the point that it had almost been lost anyway.
And, ironically, it was the players who wanted the PFA to put something out to clarify their position… but it ended up as an own goal.
The PFA did not want players to accept players to accept pay cuts when, ultimately, that just meant their salaries would go back into a game which, at the top end, is already awash with cash.
And, let’s not kid ourselves, many of those big Premier League clubs have got enough money to pay their staff without having to put them on the Government furlough scheme. If Tottenham can pay Daniel Levy £7m then they can surely pay office staff.
The players generally are happy to make big, sizeable generous donations for the right causes - and that means putting serious cash into NHS charities like Heroes.
This generation of England players like Raheem Sterling, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dele Alli, Henderson and Maguire have a social conscience.
They are young, healthy and wealthy but also see beyond their own personal interest and the PFA statement was in serious danger of making them look like the bad guys.
There was already a push from players to do their own thing even before the backlash amid the ugly stand-off between the players’ union, the Premier League and the EFL.
What, however, did stick in the throat was the accusation that they do not do enough - and that is wildly unfair on a whole raft of players.
Henderson will now ask Liverpool to liaise and work with other clubs to work out an agreement so all players can contribute a percentage of their salaries to the NHS or related charities.
One idea is to set up a collective fund to help raise cash to buy the sort of protective equipment that many NHS heroes currently do not have.
United captain Maguire, already proving himself to be a strong leader at Old Trafford, gathered support, spoke to some individually and then put round a Whats App message to sound them out on making donations.
The support was overwhelming and a brilliant gesture whether it be for Manchester hospitals or a collective fund, they are happy to buy into it and shows the real side of footballers.
One big name England player has put a huge personal donation into an NHS charity because he wants to - not for publicity or praise.
Another Premier League club was incensed with the public backlash against players and a chief executive made it clear he was appalled because his players had been “outstanding.”
There had been a five figure donation to charity, tireless work for the club’s foundation and there is a frustration that, yet again, it is footballers being called out rather than bankers, pop stars or wealthy businessmen as many do not do nearly as much.
Some players will accept deferrals and that, after the Premier League’s statement, will now be discussed on figures of up to 30 per cent - and if no more football happens in three months then they will ask for wage cuts.
These are unprecedented times but the footballers at the top of the game have responded to the call to arms - and are more than ready to do their bit.
