Vincent Kompany
In the politics betting odds, individuals who are statesmanlike are always backed to succeed for the simple reason that people respond well to dignity and integrity. In today’s climate, and especially in the political arena, such traits are as rare as hen’s teeth.
The former Manchester City skipper has these qualities in abundance, respected by his peers, even rival supporters for the manner in which he conducted himself across a long and distinguished playing career.
In his testimonial season, the affable Belgian launched Tackle4MCR, an initiative that has offered real support to thousands of homeless across the Manchester area and this is befitting of a player raised to have a social conscience.
reviously Kompany has described his influential mother as a ‘socialist, borderline communist’.
Jordan Henderson
The former Liverpool midfielder was instrumental in players helping frontline NHS workers during the pandemic and has long been a vocal ally to the LBGTQ+ community, wearing rainbow laces and armband.
In 2019 he lent his voice and sway to a Stonewall campaign.
It came as quite a shock therefore when the 33-year-old joined the Saudi Arabian gravy-train this summer, moving to Al-Ettifaq for megabucks per week. With same sex relations illegal in the region, it led to charges of rank hypocrisy.
In this regard then, Henderson is a perfect fit for parliament. He’d fit right in.
Gary Lineker
A single tweet by the ex-Everton and Barcelona goal-getter last March, airing his opinion on the government’s asylum policy and the language used therein, created a scandal so momentous it was all anyone was talking about for days.
It even resulted in the weirdest Match of the Day episode ever, featuring only the goals and minus any commentary.
Politically-minded and admirably unafraid to annoy his detractors, Lineker would shake up Westminster for sure and get issues that need to be discussed onto the front pages.
Marcus Rashford
Not only did the Manchester United forward help enable FareShare, a charity that has distributed over 21 million meals to children who might otherwise have not eaten, but by publicly campaigning to end child food poverty he has shone a light on a subject that shames us all.
In taking on the government, the England international was subjected to pushback, usually in the form of ministers tweeting out nonsensible footballing metaphors that only revealed just how out of touch they are.
They shot themselves in the foot in doing so. Or, to deploy their mangled terminology, passed themselves in the kicker.
Megan Rapinoe
Having won pretty much everything in the game - including a Ballon d’Or Feminin - Rapinoe retired from top level football this year, and what’s the betting Donald Trump’s least favourite player will soon enter the world of politics, to better fight the good fights.
Admired by many for her activism, Rapinoe was one of the first professional athletes to ‘take the knee’ in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick while her campaigning for equal pay has resulted in a lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation.
A lightning rod for Republicans, the two-time World Cup winner became embroiled in a Twitter spat with President Trump in 2019, after publicly snubbing an invitation to the White House for the victorious USWNT.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
