“I’m a bit of an outlier as a person, I like being unique in who I am and what I do,” says the former Arsenal goalkeeper Alexéi Rojas, who combines saving shots with saving the planet. “I would say that was one of the biggest pulls for me to become a goalkeeper. I like being different.”

There is plenty to make him stand out. By 15, Rojas was changing the way people thought at Arsenal, transforming attitudes at the academy’s Hale End training ground where he would cycle, rather than get a lift from his parents. Rojas’s interest in the climate crisis began thanks to his mother, who works in wind energy. He would visit her office to learn more about renewables and their potential.

“I spoke about sustainability in front of everyone [at the academy],” Rojas says. “The staff realised this is something I’m really passionate about. I jumped at the opportunity. I said: ‘We need to fix this.’

“First, there’s no recycling bins, we need to incorporate that. We use way too much plastic, which we can swap out for reusable things or compostable packaging; there’s a lot of energy wasted at the training ground where there’s lights on all the time that don’t need to be.”

This transformation led to more interest from teammates, who quickly switched to reusable bottles, a small indication of what can happen when someone makes a stand.

“It is really important that clubs are actively pushing what they’re doing in terms of being sustainable – that could be the way the kits are produced and where the materials are coming from, to sustainability campaigns,” Rojas says. His gloves incorporate recycled materials and the manufacturer donates towards the removal of plastic from the oceans.

At elite level, teams crisscross the globe for matches, while major international tournaments attract fans from all over the world. The carbon impact is rarely considered.

“In our day-to-day, we may not see much of a [climate] impact right now but, as much as people love going to matches, love watching the World Cup, if we don’t protect the longevity of our game, we’re not going to be able to have these moments,” explains Rojas, who has spoken at the London School of Economics and the Net Zero Summit.

“You’re not going to be able to go with your mates and watch football because the game may not even be on because of the weather conditions. It’s making everybody associated with football understand the potential impacts in the future. And that way, by making it relatable, people can actually start to understand things.”

Rojas, who was born in the Essex town of Basildon and educated in England, has represented Colombia at youth level and experienced the rapidly changing climate around the world and at home. The brutal 2026 summer left grassroots pitches across the United Kingdom looking like deserts.

The beginning of the season was delayed in parts of the country as dry and bumpy surfaces were deemed unplayable after months of dry weather. “It’s ultimately going to affect the longevity of the game because elite players start off by playing for local teams in the park and, without suitable conditions, opportunities will be lost,” Rojas says.

Rojas has travelled to Kenya for Charity Boots to deliver donated kit. “You’re solving two problems in one,” he explains. “You’re solving the sustainability problem because they are not just going to landfill or being burned. You’re also solving equality by helping disadvantaged people in different countries around the world have access to sports equipment, football boots, that they can then use to enjoy, have fun, and then maybe inspire.”

Rojas featured on the Arsenal bench twice, once in the Champions League and another in the Carabao Cup, under Mikel Arteta but never made a senior appearance for the club. He was part of the goalkeeper department when Arsenal won the Premier League last season, training every day with David Raya and Kepa Arrizabalaga, but left in the summer after eight years with the club to join Penafiel in the Portuguese second tier.

“To be part of a group of so many elite, world-class players is something that you dream of,” Rojas says, “especially when, five, six years back, a lot of these players I was living my day-to-day with, training with, were players that I was watching on TV and looking up to. Being part of a squad sitting in the Premier League, in the Carabao Cup, in the Champions League – things that you dream of as a kid.”

The childhood dreams have diversified for Rojas but the power of football is at their heart, on and off the field.