Alexéi Rojas wants sustainability to become a football priority

“I’m passionate about sustainability – I told Arsenal: we need to fix this,” says Alexéi Rojas. The goalkeeper wants football to change some of its habits to protect the planet, and believes clubs have an active part to play.

His commitment took shape early at Arsenal. By the age of 15, Rojas was helping shift attitudes at the Hale End academy: he cycled there rather than getting a lift from his parents. His interest in the climate crisis came from his mother, who works in wind energy. “I spoke about sustainability in front of everyone [at the academy],” he says. Staff recognised how much the issue mattered to him, and he took the opportunity to tell them: “We need to fix this.”

He points to practical steps: providing recycling bins, cutting plastic use in favour of reusable items or compostable packaging, and reducing wasted energy at the training ground, where lights are left on unnecessarily. More broadly, he believes clubs should take action on how their kits are made and where the materials come from, as well as through sustainability campaigns.

Rojas connects that work to football’s future. “In our day-to-day, we may not see much of a [climate] impact right now but, as much as people love going to matches, love watching the World Cup, if we don’t protect the longevity of our game, we’re not going to be able to have these moments,” he says. He also warns that weather conditions could prevent matches from being played, while a lack of suitable pitches could deprive young players of opportunities, starting with local teams. Rojas has addressed audiences at the London School of Economics and the Net Zero Summit.

His career offers another perspective on his argument: in October 2025, Rojas celebrated Colombia’s victory over Spain at the Under-20 World Cup in Chile. Born in Basildon, Essex, and educated in England, he has represented Colombia at youth level. He has also travelled to Kenya with Charity Boots to deliver donated equipment. At Arsenal, he was named on the bench twice, in the Champions League and the Carabao Cup, but did not make a senior appearance. Last season, he was part of the goalkeeping department when Arsenal won the Premier League. After eight years at the club, he left in the summer to join Penafiel in Portugal’s second tier.