Duncan Watmore addresses delegates at the United Nations General Assembly

Former Sunderland and Middlesbrough forward Duncan Watmore swapped the matchday dressing room for international diplomacy after addressing delegates at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The former striker took to the stage during Global Health Futures Day to argue that lessons learned from elite athletic performance should be utilized to improve everyday public health. Watmore, 32, completed a first-class economics degree and a masters during his 15-year career and currently serves as head of elite performance at the wellbeing firm PEAK4.

Using the power of football, and sport more broadly, to help make the world a better place is something I've always been incredibly passionate about. To be able to speak about that on a stage like UNGA was a real privilege. Duncan Watmore

Watmore follows in the footsteps of several prominent football figures who have previously addressed the General Assembly, including Pele, David Beckham, Didier Drogba, and Kaka. George Weah famously addressed the podium in his capacity as President of Liberia, while other stars like Lionel Messi and Marta have also championed humanitarian causes at similar summits.