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Solskjaer's African mission

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
OLE Solskjaer is the perfect antidote to the selfish cash-grabbing image football has landed itself with.

Currently all around the football world agents, negotiators, chief executives and managers are pedalling their wares or attempting to lure imports to their club.

It's the summer business as millions of pounds travels around between accounts. Cristiano Ronaldo's headline-hitting transfer saga, which has soured the post-Champions League and Premiership title-winning campaign for United fans, is not unique.

But, amid all the obscene figures being bandied around swelling the pockets of soccer personnel, the player who used to plunder vital goals for United has one immediate new goal - to help children in Africa.

After 11 years service to United, the Norwegian was forced to retire last August after years of knee problems at the age of 34. He will have an Old Trafford testimonial match against Espanyol on August 2.

But a substantial portion of the potential £3m jackpot from that pre-season benefit match against the Spaniards will be going towards building schools in Angola, Uganda and Mozambique.

Solskjaer, an Old Trafford legend as a result of his 1999 Champions League winning goal against Bayern Munich, has been a keen UNICEF ambassador for seven years and saw his benefit booty as a way of helping children in Africa get a better life.

Despite a chest full of medals since arriving as a £1.5m unknown from Molde in 1996, completing the schools project will mean more to Solskjaer than any piece of silverware.

"It is even more fulfilling in a way than anything I did as a player," he said.

"As a footballer, you work hard and strive for your goals. You can achieve great things. But I always say football is the most important thing that is not important in life.

"School and education are important and it gives me a lot better feeling to eventually be able to give this chance to the children over there.

"You affect people's lives as a footballer because you create memories and happiness. But if you build a school you can change a whole life. You have something concrete, not just in your head.

"You can see kids getting out of the poverty they are in and maybe becoming doctors or teachers themselves.

"I went to Angola a few months ago. You could see clearly how much things were needed down there. I am going to try and build 10 schools. That is my aim.

"It is more important for me to be remembered for helping to give these kids a chance.

"As a father, it has a huge impact on you because you know how helpless these kids are. When you see things like that on TV it is just in your vision. When you are there and you see it, you feel if this was happening to your kid you would do absolutely anything for them.

"When I was granted my game I thought I can either do it quietly and give the money to Unicef or I could try and create something to help generate as much money as possible to this project.

"I wanted to use this opportunity to help others. I just felt doing this was right."

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LEGEND!

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Once again Ole has shown himself to be the great human being we know that he is!

People often criticise the obscene amounts of money top players earn, and rightly so. This altruistic deed is the kind of thing that the money laden world of football could do with having more of. I've often thought about the amount of good players could do with a fraction of the money they earn, build 10 schools for example, amazing. I know a lot of players help good causes with no publicity, but it would be nice to see a few more publicly helping others with their money instead of talking about what will be their 20th car and where they're going to build their latest super mansion!

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Legend!

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Nice to see the likes of Ole (and Rio) getting involved in projects like this. This will hopefully be an inspiration for players who are currently making tens of millions and for the rank and file who hold these players up as role models. Maybe even the Glazers;)

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THE BABY FACED ASSASSIN.

LOVE THE GUY, LOVE HIS ATTITUDE AND NATURAL HUMILITY AND GOD BLESS HIM AND ALL HE DOES.

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