In the last couple of weeks, a global conversation on women’s safety and the dangers they constantly face has been reignited. This in large part was spurred on by the horrifying kidnapping and murder of Sarah Everard. Many people in the footballing community have spoken out on the matter, including Nancy Frostick on the hazards women deal with as football supporters and Melissa Reddy on what female football journalists encounter on a regular basis.
Arsenal’s very own Hector Bellerin was also moved to speak on the matter. He took to social media last Friday to make the statement below in an Instagram story. Stressing the importance of realizing that women have been asked to change their behavior when it is men who must correct their ways, the Arsenal right-back exhibited commendable allyship.
This is not the first time Bellerin has used his fame or influence to effect change. Shortly after the murder of George Floyd, during the height of Black Lives Matter protests across the globe, the Spaniard was heavily involved in convincing the Premier League to make a public display of support for the movement. As one of Arsenal’s vice-captains and perhaps one of the most vocal players in the Premier League in terms of politics and activism, Bellerin served as the club’s delegate at Professional Footballers Association (PFA) meetings. This is a role traditionally reserved for captains.
Bellerin had been one of the first Arsenal players to speak up after George Floyd’s death, sharing a New York Times article titled, “Of Course There Are Protests. The State Is Failing Black People.” and highlighting passages that demonstrated the double-standard applied to armed riots by white Americans and peaceful protests by Black Americans. It’s no surprise then that he, Troy Deeney of Watford, and Seamus Coleman of Everton were particularly vocal in discussions with the Premier League according to The New York Times. The three footballers urged the league not only to pay tribute to the NHS, but also to take a public stand against racism.
As a result of the efforts Bellerin helped lead, the Premier League resumed on June 17, 2020 with players taking a knee to begin every match (a ritual that has carried through place this season). Shirt names were replaced with “Black Lives Matter” for the remainder of the season, while a BLM logo also was placed on kits’ sleeves. A badge honoring the NHS was featured on the front of Premier League clubs’ kits as well.
In August of 2019, Bellerin gave an interview to BBC Sport in which he stated that people should be scared for the future of the planet. He expressed concerns over plastic use and deforestation, and stressed the importance of he and other celebrities using their platform to bring attention to these issues. However, it wasn’t until the pandemic that the Arsenal right-back had the time to take action.
When Project Restart kicked off, Bellerin promised to fund the planting of 3,000 trees every time Arsenal won a match in June and July of 2020. Working in tandem with One Tree Planted, a non-profit organization dedicated to reforestation, Bellerin initially aimed to plant 30,000 trees. However, according to Forbes, contributions from both fans and rivals allowed him to plant 58,617. In addition to Bellerin almost doubling his goal, Paddy Power announced they would help “Hectare Bellerin” by planting 6,000 trees every time Arsenal failed to win a match during that period, after they lost their first two games against Manchester City and Brighton.
Bellerin chose to have the trees he funded planted in Brazil. According to Forbes, he decided upon the Amazon not only because it is “the lung of the earth”, but also because of the impoverished communities that live in the area. The Spaniard viewed the initiative as an opportunity to not only to replenish the rainforest that provides 16% of the world’s oxygen, but also to provide much-needed financial support to the area’s inhabitants by providing them with the work of planting new trees.
Ten years after the war in Syria began, Save the Children and The Arsenal Foundation partnered together on a photography project meant to document the lives of Syrian refugees living in a refugee camp in northern Jordan. This project was spearheaded by prominent photographer Pixie Levinson and Bellerin. Instax cameras were donated to children so that they could tell their own stories by capturing it through a lens.
The results, as put by Charlotte Hodges of The Independent, were “a poignant testimony to the resilience and creativity of children, even in the most adverse of circumstances.” The photos produced by the refugees are images of friendship and small pockets of happiness, and of course feature some football being played. In a YouTube video uploaded by Arsenal, Bellerin and Levinson review a selection of their favorite photos and explain what they like about each. The Arsenal right-back goes on to say, “Sometimes as humans it’s really hard to communicate the feelings we have inside and it’s easier to express them in a creative way.”
This month, clothing retail company H&M announced that they had partnered with Bellerin to release a line of environmentally-friendly men’s clothing. The pieces in the clothing line are made entirely from sustainably sourced, organic materials. According to H&M, Bellerin was involved in every step of the design process, from choosing sustainable fabrics for the clothing line to deciding the directional take on the line’s seasonal style. In a statement made along with the announcement, Bellerin explained, “Fashion is like activism, and our clothes can spread a positive message to others.”
These are far from the only inspirational endeavors Bellerin has been involved in. Last year, he joined an initiative set up by Unique Sports Management to raise £100,000 to fight COVID-19. For every minute he played for Spain in the 2017 U21 European Championships, he donated £50 to help victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. In Unseen Journey, the nine-part documentary Bellerin released on YouTube and Facebook, he seeks to highlight the physical and mental battles he and other footballers fought while recovering from major injuries. Time and time again, Hector Bellerin has sought to use his status as a top-level footballer to make the world a better place. As he told Forbes last year, “The world needs our help, communities need our help. Football gives me so much, it puts me in a position that I can help more than most. I feel it is my duty to do so and I am very happy to do it.”
Bellerin has been much maligned this season for his performances on the pitch. Two years after suffering an ACL tear against Chelsea, the Spaniard does not appear to have returned to the heights he showed prior to the injury. Cedric Soares and even Calum Chambers now have staked strong claims to take the starting berth that had been Bellerin’s at the beginning of the campaign. Many fans believe he should be sold in the summer. With reports of Bellerin being open to a change, it may very well be his last season in north London.
But in an era where fans are more connected to celebrities and more cognizant of their actions and beliefs than ever before, Bellerin has set a tremendous example. Because at the end of the day, footballers and their fans are all people. People who are affected by racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry. People who are concerned about the world they live in. People who want to see things change for the better.
At a time when many football clubs, Arsenal included, have felt more and more like faceless corporate entities, players like Bellerin have served as redeeming ambassadors. Seeing a player so dedicated to giving back and improving the lives of others rightfully instills pride in supporters. It sends the message that the players we back have the same values we do, and deepens the connection we feel to them and the club. It reminds us of the class and principles that inspired many to become Arsenal fans in the first place.
Activism is different than footballing, of course. None of this is to say that Bellerin deserves to start simply off the back of what he does in his non-footballing life. But the modern football fan often cherishes not only a player’s achievements on the pitch, but their character as well. Bellerin is no exception. Based on what we’ve seen so far from him off the pitch, winning three FA Cups or being included in the 2015-16 PFA Team of the Year likely won’t go down as the greatest accomplishment of his life. And for exactly that reason, we should all be proud of Hector Bellerin. He may be far from Arsenal’s best player, but he is certainly Arsenal’s best person.
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