Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin has invested in League Two outfit Forest Green Rovers.
According to an official club statement released on Tuesday, the Gunners right-back is now the second-largest shareholder at The New Lawn, behind chairman and green energy industrialist Dale Vince.
Under Vince's guidance, environmentally-conscious Forest Green - set to begin their fourth consecutive season in the English Football League (EFL) - have been labelled by Fifa as the "greenest club in the world" and are committed to becoming fully sustainable in future.
In 2015, the Gloucestershire club became the first in the world to go vegan, while Forest Green were also certified carbon neutral by the United Nations in 2018.
Last week, the club also received formal planning permission for their proposed new all-wood 5,000-seater Eco Park stadium.
It is this ongoing work that has attracted the attention and investment of Bellerin, a passionate environmental campaigner who earlier this summer partnered with charity One Tree Planted to plant 3,000 trees for every Arsenal victory achieved following the 2019-20 season restart.
The Spaniard is also a vegan who has hailed the benefits of that choice on his playing career.
“I was really excited when I first discovered the opportunity to get involved at Forest Green Rovers – and the brilliant work the club is already doing. It’s important that I invest in things I am passionate about – and I’m excited to help push football into having a sustainable future," Bellerin told the club's official website.
“Forest Green Rovers prove to clubs who say ‘they don’t have resources to be sustainable’ – that it is possible.
"With the new stadium, being carbon neutral and vegan the club is doing some mind-blowing work. People have a universal love of football, so there’s no better industry to promote sustainability – and what we can do as football supporters to be more environmentally conscious."
Vince added: “I like Hector’s approach, his personal journey and the things he’s trying to do – they make sense. I’m looking forward to working with him on our projects at FGR and this wider agenda we have a shared interest in.”