I like being different.” There is plenty to make him stand out. By 15, Rojas was changing the way people thought at Arsenal, transforming attitudes at the academy’s Hale End training ground where he would cycle, rather than get a lift from his parents. Rojas’s interest in the climate crisis began thanks to his mother, who works in wind energy.
He would visit her office to learn more about renewables and their potential. I jumped at the opportunity. I said: ‘We need to fix this.’ “First, there’s no recycling bins, we need to incorporate that.
We use way too much plastic, which we can swap out for reusable things or compostable packaging; there’s a lot of energy wasted at the training ground where there’s lights on all the time that don’t need to be.” This transformation led to more interest from teammates, who quickly switched to reusable bottles, a small indication of what can happen when someone makes a stand. His gloves incorporate recycled materials and the manufacturer donates towards the removal of plastic from the oceans. At elite level, teams crisscross the globe for matches, while major international tournaments attract fans from all over the world.
The carbon impact is rarely considered. It’s making everybody associated with football understand the potential impacts in the future. And that way, by making it relatable, people can actually start to understand things.” Rojas, who was born in the Essex town of Basildon and educated in England, has represented Colombia at youth level and experienced the rapidly changing climate around the world and at home.
The brutal 2026 summer left grassroots pitches across the United Kingdom looking like deserts. The beginning of the season was delayed in parts of the country as dry and bumpy surfaces were deemed unplayable after months of dry weather. Rojas has travelled to Kenya for Charity Boots to deliver donated kit.
You’re also solving equality by helping disadvantaged people in different countries around the world have access to sports equipment, football boots, that they can then use to enjoy, have fun, and then maybe inspire.” Rojas featured on the Arsenal bench twice, once in the Champions League and another in the Carabao Cup, under Mikel Arteta but never made a senior appearance for the club. He was part of the goalkeeper department when Arsenal won the Premier League last season, training every day with David Raya and Kepa Arrizabalaga, but left in the summer after eight years with the club to join Penafiel in the Portuguese second tier. Being part of a squad sitting in the Premier League, in the Carabao Cup, in the Champions League – things that you dream of as a kid.” The childhood dreams have diversified for Rojas but the power of football is at their heart, on and off the field.
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