Hector Bellerin at Real Betis: Championing sustainability and tackling social issues

Hector Bellerin's grandma was as big a 'Betico' as they come. She would hand him green and white gifts every Christmas. Even though he played his football in Barcelona, deep down the youngster's heart always belonged to Real Betis.

In Betis, Bellerin has found an institution with the same moral compass, one committed to championing sustainability and tackling social issues.

The 28-year-old is comfortable discussing such topics at length, from environmental concerns, to why other players don't speak out and the pressure on modern-day footballers.

He covers the role of masculinity and mental health, suggesting not all footballers want to "drive massive cars and be so strong and so manly", and feels clubs should be obliged to provide psychologists and allow players time to work on their mental health.

The defender has always supported Betis' social causes and while on loan participated in the Futbol Mas project with his girlfriend, visiting the poorest areas in suburban Seville to play football with youngsters and talk about emotions and relationships.

Now he takes a keen interest in Betis' Forever Green initiative, a project that over the past three years has helped them become La Liga's greenest club - among its many measures has been introducing electric bikes and scooters for employees.

"For me, sustainability has always been a big thing," explains Bellerin, who is also a shareholder at Forest Green Rovers.

"It is something I take into account in every single decision in my life and to be part of a football club that is conscious of that, that is trying to put systems in place for fans, for workers, for staff and players too, to make things easier in order to have a greener lifestyle, is important and an inspiration."

On a personal level, Bellerin bikes to work from his home in central Seville, recycles, follows a vegan diet, uses public transport and carefully researches any purchases. One of the "greener" things he encourages most, however, is to vote.

"Voting means you put someone in power that is going to put those green initiatives in," he says.

"Sometimes as consumers we feel a lot of blame, but it is also the state and bigger companies that need to take responsibility because they are the ones that pollute the most.

"We have a great opportunity every time we vote that we can make sure we create a more sustainable future."

Bellerin is challenging football's governing bodies to think smarter - fewer flights, not using new shirts every game and producing less waste, for example

"In almost every country in Europe we could travel on the train," he explains.

"With Arsene Wenger [at Arsenal], every time we had to go to Manchester or Liverpool we used to travel on the train and those are very simple and cleaner options."

He says change needs to be organic, but is also critical of expanding tournaments and hosting World Cups across multiple countries and continents. Not just because of the environmental impact, but also the strain it puts on fans.

"Football every day is more about margins, about can we make more money and less about the people that support it and the people that truly make football great," says Bellerin.

"It is becoming every day something more elitist, in my opinion, and having it in three different countries makes it more difficult for fans to follow their nation.

"We are losing a little bit of the essence of what football truly is and who are the people that actually make football, which is the people who follow us and watch us every weekend."

In that respect, Bellerin reveals he has just finished reading Nick Hornby's 1992 classic Fever Pitch, and says football is "drifting from what it once was".

"I understand that football, like every single industry, needs to modernise itself to be able to follow changes in society, but sometimes it can't go that far," adds Bellerin.

In the changing rooms at the Benito Villamarin Stadium, Bellerin has found a like-minded group of colleagues.

He would like to see more footballers speaking up but understands why many do not, citing cancel culture, critics and clubs being keen to protect their stars.

"I feel as we get older, we are all capable of expressing our views," adds Bellerin. "It is important to exercise this influence that we have, not just football players.

"We have a group of players that we have had these conversations with our team-mates, we've had awkward conversations between us, we've wanted to learn.

"We know that a lot of people, especially men, are sometimes not talking about mistakes because they are scared of being called hypocrites, because maybe in the past they've had different opinions because of the way we've been raised or the way we have been educated.

"People who don't want to change are the ones who point the finger, call you a hypocrite, because they think that because you were one way a couple of years ago, you cannot be a different person today.

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"I have had a lot of that. Me in the past, talking about sustainability, I used to buy lots of clothes - that doesn't mean I want to do that today.

"When you live in a society that does not accept even a little mistake, it makes it harder for people to expose themselves."

Asked how he feels when being told to "stick to football", Bellerin adds: "It is very funny because they only tell footballers to stick to football when they talk about something or do something that is not too masculine.

"When they play PlayStation and they drive fast cars, when we get drunk or whatever, there is nothing to say about that.

"But when Borja [Iglesias] painted his nails, or when I go to a fashion show, then that is when they question us, that is when whatever we do outside affects our football."

As you would expect, Bellerin has no intention of just "sticking to football", and nor would Betis expect him to.

"We talk about a team that plays European football, that has 60,000 people coming every weekend to the stadium," he adds.

"From all the big clubs, especially here in Spain, Betis is setting an example and I am very proud of the work the club has in place and how it influences and promotes this kind of behaviour with its fanbase."

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