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During the coronavirus pandemic, few have risen to the plate like Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Juventus forward, who earns £ 500,000 a week at Juventus and has sponsorship deals with Nike, Armani, KFC, Herbalife, as well as his own range of CR7 clothing, shoes and underwear, has put his money where his mouth is and helped those in need.
His years of success at Real Madrid and now at Juventus have made the Portuguese one of the most divisive athletes in the world.
Worshiped by his fans for his ridiculous skill and achievement, Ronaldo also has an army of critics who hate his petulant demeanor and obsession with looks and branding.
But while many ridicule Ronaldo for his antics on the field, few know of his charity work.
Here’s why Ronaldo has one of the biggest hearts in all of sports.
1) YOUR EUROPEAN GOLDEN BOOT
In 2011, Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded the European Golden Boot after scoring 40 goals with José Mourinho, although Los Blancos was only able to finish second in La Liga and crashed in the Champions League semi-finals.
Instead of keeping the award in his already full trophy room, Ronaldo chose to sell it for charity.
The boot went up for auction and raised an impressive £ 1.2m.
The funds went to the construction of several schools in war-torn Gaza.
2) THE BALL D’OR
Ronaldo repeated the trick of selling one of his trophies in 2017, this time his 2013 Ballon d’Or trophy at a charity auction in London.
The gala dinner, to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening and terminally ill children, was a resounding success.
Ronaldo’s Ballon d’Or made a whopping £ 530,000 for the organization as well.
3) AN AMBASSADOR
Ronaldo continues to use his global platform as a force for good.
He is an ambassador for three major charities, Save the Children, UNICEF and World Vision, and has voiced his opinion for countless others.
In his 2014 Ballon d’Or speech, Ronaldo mentioned a group of children he had met with leukemia.
He has continued to speak in those roles.
In 2016, he recorded a message for children affected by the Syrian conflict, calling them “true heroes” and saying “I am with you”.
He also made a secret donation that asked Save the Children not to disclose.
The video for Ronaldo’s Ice Bucket Challenge, the viral sensation that raised hundreds of millions of pounds in 2014, was viewed by more than one hundred million people on their social media platforms.
4) EARN BONUSES
Ronaldo has also been very generous in giving up money earned from his exceptional performances on the field.
In 2013 he was named to the UEFA Team of the Year, earning a € 100,000 (£ 89,000) bonus from the European governing body.
But instead of cashing the check, he donated it to the Red Cross.
A year later, the Portuguese star led Real Madrid to La Decima, his tenth win in the Champions League, and earned a £ 450,000 bonus from Los Blancos.
But Ronaldo again decided not to collect the money, instead of sharing it among the three charities for which he is an ambassador, UNICEF, World Vision and Save the Children.
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most generous people in history.
5) GIVE BLOOD
The 32-year-old man, compared to a growing number of his peers, is remarkably tattoo-free.
All for a reason: Ronaldo regularly donates blood and has participated in numerous campaigns to encourage others to do the same.
People with tattoos can donate blood, but cannot do so immediately after receiving new ink to reduce the risk of infection.
He said in 2015: “We can all make a difference by donating blood.
“Each donation can benefit up to three people in emergencies and for long-term medical treatment … That is why I am excited … for the importance of donating blood and for encouraging people around the world to become life-long blood donors and help save lives. “
Ronaldo also donates bone marrow after a former teammate revealed his difficulties.
Carlos Martins had a son who needed bone marrow and Ronaldo has been a donor ever since.
He said that donating bone marrow is “something that many people think is difficult to do, but it is nothing more than drawing blood and it doesn’t hurt.”
6) RELIEF OF MULTIMILLION POUNDS
Ronaldo donated a large amount of money again in 2015 to relief efforts for the Nepal earthquake in April 2015.
The deadly natural disaster killed 9,000 people, wounded 22,000 more and caused untold amounts of damage to the country.
Ronaldo is reported to have donated £ 5 MILLION to the Save the Children disaster relief fund, although those reports have not been verified and were rejected by the charity.
He probably made a donation, although the amount remains a mystery.
7) HELPING A CANCER CENTER
Ronaldo’s mother, Dolores Aveiro, survived breast cancer in 2007.
The former Manchester United man decided to thank the spotlight in Portugal who treated his mother, adding £ 120,000 to his coffers.
8) INVITATION TO AN ORPHAN
In Beirut, the Lebanese capital, Real Madrid fan Haidar was orphaned when his two parents were killed by a suicide bomber.
A local journalist contacted the Spanish giants and finally the boy was invited to the club.
It led to a heartbreaking video of Ronaldo hugging the young man as he burst into tears of pure pleasure upon meeting his hero.
9) HELPING A YOUNG FAN
Ronaldo was alerted to the story of Nuhuzet Guillén, a nine-year-old boy with terminal cancer in 2009.
After learning of the fanatic, Ronaldo decided to send a driver to take the family to the hotel where the Real Madrid team was staying.
After leaving the elevator, he is said to have joked with the young man: “You don’t want to say anything?”
He dedicated a goal to Nuhuzet, inviting him to watch the game in his private box at the Bernabéu, and after the game he gave him his game shirt.
After talking to his father, Ronaldo learned that there wasn’t much that could be done, although there was an experimental treatment available in the United States, which the star paid for.
When Nuhuzet’s condition worsened, Ronaldo offered to pay for all his medications, which cost hundreds of thousands, and treatment at a private medical center.
Ronaldo paid that for over a year, until the boy sadly passed away in March 2013.
10) I GEND WITH YOUR TIME
Ronaldo is often the target of invaders for selfies and images.
But instead of avoiding fans, CR7 knows that he is an icon for these people and instead he often stops by to take photos.
On numerous occasions, he has prevented fans from being treated for heavy-handed security.
Ronaldo also loves to interact with fans inside stadiums, often staying to throw his shirt at the crowd, sign autographs, and take pictures.
11) HELPING ANOTHER YOUNG FAN
In 2014, the mother of another young fan, ten-month-old Erik Ortiz Cruz, asked Ronaldo to donate a shirt to the boy, who has cortical dysplasia.
The brain abnormality causes up to 30 seizures per day.
After hearing the full story, Ronaldo paid £ 55,000 for the initial brain surgery and promised to cover the cost of any follow-up treatment, though none has been needed so far.
He also helped raise extra money for Erik by donating a signed kit to sell at auction.
12) BROKEN ARM
During a preseason friendly at Bournemouth, Ronaldo shot one of his signature free throws to the crowd at Vitality Stadium.
Unfortunately for Charlie Silverwood, 11, the shot broke the boy’s arm.
Club president Florentino Pérez called Charlie, while Ronaldo gave him a signed Real Madrid shirt.
During a Champions League clash, he also shot into the crowd that made a child cry.
He jumped onto the stand to give the young man his training top.
Ronaldo appears in Save the Children video for World Refugee Day
13) BEST FRIEND EVER
Super agent Jorge Mendes named Ronaldo as his godfather when he married Sandra in 2015.
And Ronaldo decided to generously reward his Portuguese friend by buying him an entire Greek island as a wedding gift.
The island is said to have cost almost £ 40 MILLION.
14) INVITATION FOR RICKSEN
Rangers legend Fernando Ricksen was suddenly diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2013.
The former Dutch international was in a wheelchair and was confident that his wife and caregivers would take care of him until his death in September.
After his condition became known, Ronaldo contacted the Scottish title winner on social media to invite Ricksen and his family to a game at the Bernabéu.
Ronaldo also presented a shirt to the former right-back after a Champions League victory over Legia Warsaw in October 2016.
Cristiano Ronaldo meets Rangers hero Fernando Ricksen and gives him a shirt
15) SUPER TEAM
After La Decima, Real Madrid players not only got that club victory bonus, but also a special gift from Ronaldo.
The tournament player decided to reward his teammates with personalized watches from the luxury watch brand Bvlgari.
Each watch was personalized and is said to have cost £ 5,000 each.
16) BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING
Ronaldo’s father Denis was an alcoholic who struggled with his addiction for years before his death in 2005.
Big brother Hugo Aveiro was heading down that same path, addicted to alcohol and drugs.
But as Ronaldo’s fame grew, he decided to step in, promising to dedicate La Decima to his older brother if he put aside his destructive habits.
He did so and then went out on the field to share an emotional hug with Ronaldo after full time.
Since then, Hugo, who is ten years older than Cristiano, has been photographed alongside Ronaldo at numerous events, including the 2016 Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Ronaldo is also the godfather of Hugo’s son, while the Juventus and Portugal star decided to put his older brother in charge of the Ronaldo Museum in Madeira.
So the next time someone mentions how much they hate Ronaldo grooming on the field, just remember how much it helps.
17) A GREAT TIPPER
Ronaldo is a great admirer of the luxurious Costa Navarino resort in southern Greece and has stayed there several times.
The area comprises several sites, with two five-star hotels, as well as luxury private residences, conference facilities, spas and golf courses.
It is unclear exactly where Ronaldo would be staying: the owners imposed a media blackout to allow Ronaldo and his family to have some privacy, but he clearly loved it.
After long week-long stays in 2018 and 2019, Ronaldo left a massive tip for the staff who had looked after him, paying £ 20,000 in addition to his bill to share among ten employees on both occasions.
18) NEVER FORGET A KIND GESTURE
Ronaldo recently revealed that three women gave him free hamburgers when he used to order food as a child.
After a massive appeal, one of the women was found, after Ron claimed he would knock on a McDonald’s door next to the Sporting Lisbon stadium.
After days of searching, Paula Leca went ahead to say that she was one of the three women, calling Ronaldo “shy”.
And Ronaldo has offered to take Paula to dinner in Turin or Lisbon as a token of appreciation.
Cristiano Ronaldo hopes to locate a lady named Edna who used to give him free hamburgers as a child when he had no money and was impoverished
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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