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Serge Gnabry Joins Juan Mata's Common Goal Project, Pledges 1% of Salary to Charity

Juan Mata's Common Goal project has grown by another player.
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Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry, currently on loan with Bundesliga high flyers Hoffenheim, has become the latest player to join the Common Goal project - common-goal.org - and pledge 1% of his salary to charities around the world in a bid to drive positive change through football.

Gnabry is the sixth and youngest player to so far back the initiative, joining Manchester United star Juan Mata, fellow German Mats Hummels, U.S. women's players Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, and Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini.

"I'm still in the early stages of what I hope will be a long career. When I look back on my footballing journey in years to come, I want to be able to say that I left a positive mark both on and off the pitch," the 22-year-old said.

"My pledge may not change the world by itself. But by coming together behind a shared mission I think players can make a real difference. I want to help make Common Goal part of football. I want to help football feel good about itself again."

Common Goal is the work of streetworldfootball, an NGO that has helped develop and support a global network of 120 local football charities over the last 15 years - working to positively affect the lives of some 2.3m disadvantaged young people at community level in as many as 80 countries worldwide, from India, to Colombia, to Germany, the United States and many more.

Ultimately, the long-term vision of Common Goal is to unlock 1% of the entire football industry's enormous revenue - conservatively believed to be worth around $30bn per year - to help fund grassroots charities that use football to strengthen communities.

In joining Common Goal, Gnabry is particularly keen to help support charities in Ivory Coast, the country where is father was born.

"I'm proud of my Ivorian roots and know how much football means to the people over there," the former Arsenal youngster explained. "The thought of using the game as a tool to create social change across the country is something that really inspires me."

Mata, who was the face of the project when it launched in August, said, "We welcome Serge to Common Goal, where he now stands alongside Mats Hummels as the second German member of the team. I hope that players from other European countries are inspired to join us, as we continue to build a diverse and unique Common Goal team."

Chiellini also praised Gnabry for having the maturity to get involved with such a project: "I want to congratulate Serge for connecting his career to social responsibility at this young age. He is a great player and he’s setting a fantastic example for other footballers to follow."