LUKE GINNELL says footballers don’t ask to be role models

Ayoung man signs a piece of paper. At 16 years of age, this marks the point when his path through life begins to diverge from those around him. He has just become a professional footballer, and though still not permitted to vote, the opportunities that will be afforded to this novice mean he is to be saddled with a very adult responsibility: with the stroke of a pen, he has been transformed into a role model.
From this young age, professional footballers are elevated to a status to which many with twice their years would...