10 noteworthy ways in which football gave back to the community on Christmas

English and German soldiers playing football during historic Christmas truce in WW1The Christmas period is a time for joy and celebration and even more so in football, with teams and players making their best efforts to get close to the community and give back in any way possible. Teams are visiting community organizations and players take part in charitable work, something they might not otherwise be personally able to do because of their gruelling schedule. This entire event is very well known, with the famous World War I story of how English and German soldiers called a truce on Christmas and then played football. The spirit of that gesture has continued for all these years, and we have seen a lot of heartwarming gestures from football players since – a prime example being Pepe’s attempt to provide food to needy people in Madrid. Most of the players do try to keep their community work under the wraps so it isn’t really possible to document all the work done by the players, but here's a list of everything that did get the media spotlight. 

#1 Manchester United players

Manchester United players brought some festive joy for the children at the Royal Manchester Children's hospital by paying them a little visit. 

In the days preceding their Newcastle match, Manchester United stars including Robin van Persie, Juan Mata and Angel Di Maria endeavored to meet with young fans at the hospital and bring them some Christmas cheer. The players interacted with the children and even brought along gifts to share with them. Herrera, Jones, De Gea and Rojo were also in attendance.

The children were ecstatic, to be paid a visit by their heroes, but the players were also visibly moved. A humbled Herrera had this to say about this excursion:

"If we can make the children smile, then I'm very happy. It's a pleasure for me to be here and I wish that they can have a good Christmas,"