David Accam joins Common Goal project

Ghana attacker David Accam has expressed his hopes to find more heroes after becoming the first African player to join Juan Mata's Common Goal project.

Accam, 27, came out of the Right to Dream Academy to become a goal-scoring machine for Ostersunds, Helsingborg, and then Chicago Fire.

Now with Philadelphia and comfortable with his salary, Accam has joined Mata’s pledge to donate 1 percent of his salary. And since Common Goal allows him to stipulate where the money goes, the Ghanaian is sending it back to his home continent.

Accam says he helped build a pitch in Kumasi, Ghana, this summer, and that he hopes improving his homeland’s football goals with leads to loftier life goals for young talents in Africa.

“It is just about helping the kids to become whatever they want to be in the future. If that’s the next David Accam then that’s perfect. But if it is the next George Weah and we can help a kid who wants to become president then even better. Maybe we can help the next Kofi Annan too. It is about giving young people that opportunity.”