Vegan Footballer Wins BBC Green Sport Awards, Says 'With Power Comes Responsibility'

Hector Bellerin, a vegan footballer and environmental advocate, has said that “with power comes responsibility,” and linked empathy and compassion to sustainability.

Bellerin was named Global Champion at the BBC Green Sport Awards earlier this week, where he was praised for continuing to “inspire climate action across sport and beyond” by eating vegan, cycling, promoting green initiatives, and planting trees.

“I feel with power comes responsibility. Every time someone puts a microphone next to you, there’s a chance to talk about issues, to generate conversation,” Bellerin told the BBC.

The footballer said he has been prioritizing second-hand clothes “for a really long time,” including shoes, and both practices and encourages reflection on whether a purchase is truly necessary before going through with it. In contrast to some successful footballers, many of whom are notorious for their large and expensive car collections, Bellerin also prefers to cycle or take public transport to work.

“It would be easier to take a cab. I know I’m privileged, but it’s more of a revindication. We need greener cities, with fewer cars,” he explained. Bellerin added that he felt “very grateful” after being named the BBC Green Sport Awards Global Champion.

“It is totally unexpected. I’ve been doing this stuff for a very long time, talking about sustainability not just in sport but in our everyday life,” he continued. “I really appreciate it because it means that all the work and effort behind the scenes, to promote a message that I think is really important, has been seen and appreciated.”

Forever Green

Bellerin began his career playing for Barcelona and moved to the UK at 16 years old to play for Arsenal. He joined his current team, Spain’s Real Betis, in 2022. Real Betis is one of the top teams in La Liga, the highest level in the Spanish football league.

Bellerin serves as Chief Ambassador for the Real Betis “Forever Green” initiative, which promotes recycling, green mobility, and reforestation efforts. It also attempts to make the day-to-day running of the club as environmentally friendly as possible. In 2025, he championed his football club’s eco-friendly kit – made from algae and wood pulp – and launched his own sustainable brand, Gospel Estudios. In 2020, Bellerin invested in Forest Green Rovers, the world’s first vegan football club.

‘Knowing that I’m doing the right things makes me really happy to be a vegan’

Photo shows a crowd at a football stadium. Hector Bellerin is a vegan footballer who plays for Spain's Real Betis — Adobe Stock Vegan footballers like Hector Bellerin – and green clubs like Real Betis and Forest Green Rovers – are helping to make the sport more sustainability-minded

Bellerin has been vegan since 2016, and has said that while health was “ground zero” for his decision to stop eating meat, “now there are other reasons” that motivate him.

“The sustainability of the environment and animal cruelty now motivate me just as much as health. The way I feel physically and mentally, knowing that I’m doing the right things makes me really happy to be a vegan,” said Bellerin in a video for Veganuary. He has explained that eating vegan was “actually better” for his body, reducing inflammation and supporting improved recovery between games.