AC Milan veteran Clarence Seedorf believes footballers have a responsibility to use their high profiles as a force for social good.
The 35-year-old Dutchman is one of the elder statesmen of the sport, with 87 Netherlands caps to his name.
He is the only player to have won the Champions League with three different clubs - Ajax, Real Madrid and AC Milan.
Still featuring regularly for Serie A leaders Milan, Seedorf believes his fellow professionals can have an important role to play off the pitch.
"I do believe that our role in society should be that of role models for people, especially young ones," Seedorf said.
"We should take this role very seriously and we should be more careful with the way we behave on and off the pitch. I believe that this is the role of football players in a modern society."
"You know that I take these things to heart, teaching something to kids in a natural way."
"I hope that many other players will do the same, realizing that this is our role and that can make a difference for a lot of people."