By Tim Parsons-
Real Madrid football star Jude Bellingham has been named new Laureus ambassador.
He said he was “proud” to be joining “a global movement of athletes who want to make a difference, using their position to inspire and support young people around the world”.
Laureus is a global charity founded in 2000 to use the power of sport to change the world. Its main initiative is to support disadvantaged children and young people.
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In addition to funding these programs, Laureus holds the Laureus World Sports Awards, which celebrate athletic excellence and raise funds for Sport for Good, uniting the organization’s efforts to achieve positive social change through sports.
After his comeback last Saturday in the La Liga match against Espanyol, following a spell on the sidelines due to shoulder surgery in the summer, Bellingham took part in a ‘Futbol Mas’ programme activity in Madrid with 20 children, who carried out activities designed to build confidence and teamwork, the Laureus movement announced on Thursday.
‘Futbol Mas’, which uses football to promote mental wellbeing, inclusion and leadership among young people, is one of more than 300 sports programmes in over 40 countries supported by Laureus Sport for Good, which has been using the unique power of sport to bring hope, resilience and systematic change since its foundation more than 25 years ago.
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The footballer said: ‘I’m proud to become a Laureus ambassador today and join a global movement of athletes who want to make a difference; to use their position to help inspire and support young people all over the world… Sport has changed my life, and this is the perfect time for me to join the Laureus team’.
“We all believe in the mission that Nelson Mandela entrusted to athletes: that sport has the power to change the world. Sport has changed my life, and this is the perfect time to join the Laureus team. Laureus Sport for Good demonstrates that, beyond the playing field, sport is a tool for building confidence, resilience and changing the lives of young people around the world,” he said.
The 22-year-old Real Madrid player highlighted that the session with the ‘Futbol Mas’ children “was a great example of the power of sport in action.” “The children are learning life skills through football — confidence, respect, teamwork — and that is something I want to help promote with Laureus. I hope this is just the beginning of a long journey together,” he added.
In his role as ambassador, Bellingham joins footballers such as Luis Figo, Ruud Gullit, Alessandro Del Piero, Paulo Dybala, Juan Mata, Georgia Stanway and former Real Madrid captain Raul Gonzalez. Gonzalez said that as well as being “a great footballer”, the English player is also “a role model”.
“The number 5 Madrid shirt with the name ‘Bellingham’ on it is worn by children not only in this city, but all over the world, and his decision to choose Laureus shows that he takes that responsibility very seriously. His maturity, his values and his desire to give back what he has received make him the perfect person for Laureus.”
Bellingham will be starting in the second half of Real Madrid’s game against Levante in La Liga tonight.
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