It is always good to get a reminder that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

For many fans of opposition clubs, and no doubt some of his own, Rangers midfielder Josh Windass may seem to epitomise everything that is wrong with the ‘Nandos generation’ of modern footballer. An undoubted talent, his attitude and commitment to improving his game have come into question as his ability was all too seldom seen in a Rangers jersey, frustrating fans who could see that there was a player in there if he could just put everything together.

His outrageous dive against Aberdeen that overshadowed a fine personal performance, for example, hardly signalled that he was screwing the nut, but just as an improved consistency seems to be creeping into his game, hinting that we may be about to see the real Josh Windass on the field, a heart-warming video that he starred in which went viral last week showed that he may not fit the stereotype of the entitled, spoiled modern-day player after all.

READ MORE: Rangers stars Josh Windass and Lee Wallace help make young disabled boy's Christmas

Windass gave up his time to visit young Rangers fan Finlay Sangster in Aberdeen after British Airways received a letter from his mum, Gail. Finlay has cerebral palsy, and his dream was to play a game of FIFA against his friends. I won’t spoil the ending for anyone who hasn’t seen it, but if you are looking for a spot of life-affirming Christmas cheer, I would urge you to check it out. And make sure you have plenty of hankies to hand.

Gestures such as these give cause to pause and reassess your assumptions. And the more I have asked around within the Scottish game, the more I have come to realise that such acts and sacrifices from players are far from isolated yearly stunts around the festive season, but more an everyday part of a surprising amount of our footballer’s lives.

Everyone sees the grand gestures. The video backed by a major company and the hospital visits by almost every squad in the country. As laudable and as worthwhile as these visits are for the joy they bring to youngsters who can’t be at home at this time of year, it is important to highlight that club-backed initiatives only form a small part of the time that players give up throughout the year.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the increased community focus of our clubs, and gave them great credit for their efforts to engage with the local areas where they are situated. It is only right to also credit the individual players for their sacrifices to back these initiatives, because without them, none of it would be possible.

Motherwell supporters may have spent last week in mourning for the loss of the undoubted talents that star striker Louis Moult brought to them on the field of play, but the local community may feel his absence even more keenly.

Among the flood of good luck and tearful farewell messages directed at the 25-year-old’s Twitter account, the video from the club’s Community Trust, a collection of images of the countless functions and kids' training camps that he attended in his two-and-a-half years in Lanarkshire was the most heartfelt in its gratitude.

A picture of Moult, along with strike partner Ryan Bowman, a man himself who has come in for intense criticism since his elbow on Rangers defender Fabio Cardoso, visiting Motherwell fan Taylor Drummond in hospital some weeks back was another example.

READ MORE: Rangers stars Josh Windass and Lee Wallace help make young disabled boy's Christmas

Taylor, like young Finlay Sangster, suffered from cerebral palsy, and sadly lost his battle for life last week at the age of just 21. His younger brother, Evan, also died from cerebral palsy previously, aged just five. Taylor’s funeral ended at Fir Park, and Louis Moult was there to offer his condolences to the family. These gestures may be small, but they can mean so much, and you can find them throughout the game.

So, if like me, you can at times fall into the trap of recycling lazy old stereotypes about footballers and their afternoons off at Nandos and curse them for not knowing they are born, then maybe you will keep such things in mind.

It seems that more and more players are realising the power they have to make a real difference in the lives of those who not only fork out every week to in part pay their wages, but who hold them as heroes.

They might not want to shout about it from the rooftops, but I’m more than happy to do it in their stead. Here’s to them.