Lancashire freestyle footballer Liv Cooke joins forces with Juan Mata, Eric Cantona and Kasper Schmeichel after signing up to Common Goal

Liv Cooke is the first freestyle footballer to join Common Goal, an initiative looking to get footballers to give a percentage of their wage to football charities. Pictured Manchester United footballers Juan Mata - the founder of Common Goal - and Siobhan Chamberlain (Photos and video courtesy of Liv Cooke and Common Goal)

The skilled world champion freestyler from Leyland announced she was joining the Common Goal team to help use football to “make the world a better place”.

The Common Goal initiative was established in 2017 by Man Utd maestro Juan Mata. Mata won the European Championship and World Cup with his home nation, Spain, in 2008 and 2010.

19-year-old Liv is the first freestyle footballer to join the cause alongside the likes of Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini, Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, and Manchester United Women goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain.

Legendary striker Eric Cantona has also joined the team as the movement's first Mentor.

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Liv said: “I first heard about the Common Goal project from Juan Mata back in 2017 at an event.

“It popped back onto my radar when somebody from the team reached out to me. I looked into it and the more I learnt about the project the more I wanted to get involved.

“I’m so grateful for everything going on right now and more recently I’ve realised the power sport and football in particular has.

“So, I wanted to utilise my talents, my platform and my earnings to help make lives better.

“I decided I would make the pledge and donate a percentage of my annual and on going earnings to charities that use football as a tool to make the world a better place.”

Liv revealed how after hearing she was joining the team, Mata wanted to give her a “special welcome” to the team.

“When Juan heard I was joining he wanted to make me a special welcome,” Liv explained.

“So we decided to meet up in Manchester and shoot a video.

“I’m proud to be a part of such an amazing project and global movement. I truly feel we can change the world.

“I’m looking forward to going out and physically helping out in underdeveloped areas too.

“Juan is a lovely guy with a heart of gold and lots of skills in his locker. It’s a pleasure to be working with him and I look forward to seeing him again very soon.”

The Common Goal team say the “idea is simple” by pledging one per cent of earnings to a central fund, which is then allocated to high-impact organisations harnessing the power of football to advance the UN Global Goals programme, which include eradicating poverty and hunger and promoting good health and quality education.