The summer holiday destinations of footballers are well documented - Las Vegas, the Spanish islands, the Caribbean and USA among others. England's disgraced players will certainly have enjoyed luxury holidays in exotic destinations across the world following their dismal efforts this summer.
But one of their opponents next season will report back to pre-season training late next season for an entirely different, and more wholesome, reason. Stoke City and Jamaica striker Ricardo Fuller, age 29, has returned home to Jamaica to help rebulld his childhood home in the capital Kingston. The former Portsmouth player was raised in his grandmother's home, which was ruined in riots, supposedly led by supporters of suspected gang leader Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, who has been deported to USA after being arrested following gun and drug trafficing charges.
Fuller has shown there is a humanitarian (and human) sides to footballers, who are constantly ridiculed for being materialistic, spoilt and pampered (think Kevin Prince-Boateng with his 200 baseball caps!) It has put life into perspective for the striker - some of his family have lost all their possessions bar the clothes on their backs. Fuller himself said, 'I can't believe what has happened to this house, it had so much history. I feel like I don't exist anymore.'
And showing his humble side, and respecting the work his family did to get him to where he is today, he continued, 'some people know me in England, some people might know who I am in Jamaica, but if it wasn't for all the care and nuturing during the time in the house I would never be the person I am today.'
It is certainly refreshing for a top flight footballer to portray such family values, and realise that he owes his success to his family. It is a stark contrast to the reports of footballers ending up in jail (in the week that his international colleague Marlon King was released from jail for a severe sexual assault), finding themselves in court for GBH or worse, or stealing a toilet seat from B&Q (yes Glen Johnson and Ben May, that's you).
But Fuller is not the first to put others above himself. Recently, world superstars such as Lionel Messi, Kaka and Sergio Ramos have become known for humantiarian work. But one of the most famous in this country has been Darren Moore. The defender, who played in the Premier League for West Bromwich Albion and Derby County (he now plays for Burton Albion in League Two), regularly gives away his summers to helping others. Fuller's fellow Jamaica international Moore belongs to the Christian chairty Faith and Football with former Portsmouth teammate Linvoy Primus and Lomana Lua-Lua, and in 2005, with Primus he walked the Great Wall of China to raise money for children's charities. That's certainly a different way to spend your summer holiday!
Above that, he has raised a lot of money for Oxfam and Christian Aid and started to raise awareness about helping children in Third World Countries. And Moore and Primus have organised a chairty bike ride, from Charlton Athletic's ground The Valley in South-East London, to Portsmouth's Fratton Park, via Underhill at Barnet and The Madjeski Stadium in Reading (all club's Primus has played for). Lucky he never played for Newcastle United and Plymouth Argyle.
If more footballers took the attitude of Moore and Fuller - that they are lucky to have their extraordinary wealth, so should give something back to the community - football would have a greatly enhanced reputation, and the football community would be a better place for it.
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