Sergi Canos: ‘We’re just normal people that like to help other people, and we can’

If social media often seems like quite a grim place, Brentford’s Sergi Canos offers quite a nice story. It shows the power of the medium, and the game itself.

As a boyhood Valencia fan, Canos had naturally been following his hero, Juan Mata. That has also led him to follow Common Goal, the collective social impact movement that enables people in football to donate one per cent of their earnings to community initiatives, and now has 250 players and managers from 50 nationalities, almost half of which are women. Canos had wanted to sign up but, rather humbly, felt he wasn’t a big enough player when Brentford were in the Championship. Common Goal’s Sam Cook had got wind of his interest, however, clicked on the player’s Instagram account and saw Canos already followed them. The next step was obvious. A message was sent, and Canos has now become the latest footballer to sign up to Common Goal.

“I’ve known Common Goal for a long time,” the 25-year-old tells The Independent. “And just the fact that we were making the step into the Premier League, it made me want to do bigger things.”

It also made Canos get properly involved. Instead of the football-based community organisations suggested to him or going with the most well known, the midfielder requested their full list so he could choose initiatives that meant something to him. Canos ultimately went for Asociacion Alacran 1997 in Spain, his home country; Football Beyond Borders, in London, given it’s the city he’s lived in longer than any other; and Fundacion Colombianitos, since his girlfriend is from Colombia. They are all about helping children in difficult circumstances through football.

“It’s helping kids have a better life, and inclusiveness. These are kids who don’t have many opportunities and hopefully we can provide more, that they can see there is a better world.”

Canos’ announcement comes at a pointed time, given there is so much controversy about how football is being used for problematic political purposes, chiefly with the Qatar World Cup. This illustrates how football can be used for good. If that seems like a pat point, you only have listen to Canos talk about the transformation in profile he experienced when Brentford went from the Championship to the Premier League. He instantly saw the power of a truly global competition.

“I wasn’t a big player in the Championship, I don’t know to explain it,” he says humbly. “The Premier League made the step… but now, looking back, I wish I made the step earlier because the Championship is also massive.

“We play for the people, people watch us, people enjoy sport and pay a lot of money to watch us play. We try to make them enjoy the 90 minutes, but it doesn’t end with the 90 minutes. The other day, I went to an event with Brentford, a Cardio event that taught you CPR. It was quite interesting. There are a lot of kids that die through cardiac issues, and you can save them just by doing CPR. They were saying they were so happy I came because they had so many kids watch it - two minutes. So, if it happens in school or with your mates, you know what to do. Football can have an effect.”

It obviously helps that Brentford, as Canos has referenced through their cardio programme, play such a profound role in the local community.

“It’s very important to us. It’s reflected when we play at home, how involved the people get with the team. I think we want to make a statement, that we can actually play attractive football, that we can go toe to toe with any club in the Premier League.

“They go crazy. It’s because they feel we are helping the community, because they are the community. That’s why I said it doesn’t end in the 90 minutes. It’s everything. Football is everything. An event on cardio education, that’s football. An event against bullying, that’s football. The other day we had a girl who was abused online, a Brentford girl, and she was so happy when we came. She was with us, came into the gym and the dad cried, it was crazy.”

Canos has become keenly aware of the impact individual players can have, particularly from work in his own football camp back in Valencia.

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“That is right now one of the best things I’ve ever done. It was a week, and we had 70 kids, and two girls, hopefully this year we get more girls. We did so many things, the kids loved it. I played with them for a couple of days, and their faces, and what they take from it… it’s amazing. I have some friends helping me with it and they are working in town now. Some parents stop them, ‘since my kid went to the camp, he’s another kid, he helps at home’, things like this. It’s amazing. Because we try to encourage that the campus is about respect, about respecting your parents, respecting the coaches, and maybe because I was saying it they take it more personally. Because I remember when my dad used to tell me things, I didn’t care, but if Juan Mata comes and says the same thing, it would be Oh my God , I have to respect Juan Mata.’

Canos is beaming as he says this. You can instantly see the influence that Mata has had through Common Goal, and it is precisely that effect both the initiative and Canos are now looking to spread. His teammates have already begun asking.

“Juan, it’s another type of footballer. He doesn’t like to be a star. I met him. He’s an amazing guy. He’s doing well in Turkey. Everyone sees stars in some way, and we’re just normal people that like to help other people, and we can.”

Canos has certainly started doing that.