UNESCO appoints Vinicius Junior goodwill ambassador – 02/02/2024 – Sport

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) appointed Real Madrid striker Vinicius Júnior as a goodwill ambassador for Education for All, announced the player and the UN organization (United Nations Unidas) this Friday (2).

“More than an honor, it is a victory and a duty that I will carry for life”, said the Brazilian, who received a navy blue t-shirt from the director general of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay.

“Of course I want to be remembered as a great player, but also as a citizen who strived to do something different,” added the 23-year-old athlete.

During the ceremony held at Real Madrid’s training ground, Azoulay highlighted that this “exceptional player” is “also a man committed from a very young age to equal opportunities” and “a role model for an entire generation”.

Vinicius Junior became the second Brazilian player to be a UNESCO ambassador. The other was Pele.

The Paris-based UN organization also highlighted its fight in recent years for “access to education for all young people”, through the Vini Jr. Institute, which has sought, since 2021, to help Brazilian children and adolescents from less favored neighborhoods.

The Brazilian striker “has faced prejudice and racist acts on several occasions, especially from fans”, and “has collaborated with UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) and Brazil to break the silence and promote the values ​​of respect and of dialogue”, he added.

In 2023, the former Flamengo player received the Sócrates Award, at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, for his social commitment.

“My fight is for education. My institute grows month by month in Brazil and, with the power that is UNESCO, we are going to impact the world. I want to be a positive reference for children, I want them to feel proud of me. That’s why , I charge myself a lot for making few mistakes off the field”, said Vinicius.

According to UNESCO, 250 million children and adolescents in the world do not have access to school and 7 out of 10 children do not know how to read or interpret a simple text by the age of ten.

In addition to Vinicius, Spanish actress Rossi de Palma, American actor Forst Whitaker and Italian-Argentine chef Mauro Colagreco are also UNESCO ambassadors.