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What Does Cristiano Ronaldo Do for Charity?

Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of the best football players in history. Fans adore him for his skills, achievements, and social contribution for the 20+ years he has been in the industry.

Not only does the five times Ballon d’Or winner have an outstanding scoring record, but also a long list of recognizable charity work. This article highlights the main charity events by Cristiano. But first, let’s have a brief look at his background.

Cristiano Ronaldo Background

Understanding Ronaldo’s background is key to knowing why he is passionate about charity work. Cristiano was raised in a humble background. His mother was a cleaner and cook, and she once tried to abort the footballer at some point due to poverty. Cristiano Ronaldo's father was alcoholic and died when Cristiano was 20 years old. In a recent Interview With Piers Morgan, Cristiano emotionally stated that he wishes his father was there to see him receive awards.

Despite his childhood challenges, Cristiano Ronaldo has been a determined and focused footballer who would even miss meals to play. The footballer's first-hand experience with poverty is probably his driving force behind the many charitable events because he understands how it feels to lack.

Cristiano Ronaldo started his football career when he was a teenager and has since worked for big clubs like Juventus, Real Madrid, and Manchester United. His success in his career has seen him mentor young people and play a huge role in charity work.

Cristiano Ronaldo Charity Work

Cristiano Ronaldo has put immense effort into helping the society, including selling his most expensive awards for charity. The footballer has also taken pay cuts to raise more money for charity. Let’s look at the most notable activities Cristiano Ronaldo has done to help society.

Generous Donations to Hospitals

In 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo and his agent Jorge Mendes donated $1.8 Millionto hospitals in Portugal. The money was explicitly supposed to buy critical equipment in two ICU departments. During that time, coronavirus was at its peak, and the hospitals were overwhelmed by the huge number of patients, hence the need to have more ICU supplies.

This selfless act was revealed by Daniel Ferro, the president of Santa Maria hospital in Lisbon.

Jorge Mendes reached out to us after volunteering with Cristiano Ronaldo to finance ICU supplies for people suffering from Covid 19”, read part of the official statement.

The ICU equipment constitutes of beds, monitors, fans and infusion pumps.”

Bonus Pay Donation

In 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo urged the Portugal football team players to donate 50% of their 2020 Euro bonuses to help fight coronavirus in their home country, Portugal.

This information was revealed by Bernado Silva, who said Cristiano Ronaldo passed the idea through their WhatsApp conversation. Like many European countries, the pandemic greatly affected Portugal, so the donation from Cristiano and the other legends helped deal with the condition.

Coronavirus Pay Cut

With an estimated net worth of $490 Million. it’s easy to assume that a pay cut for Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn’t hurt that much. However, not many footballers would make this kind gesture for charity's sake, and that’s why we recognize Cristiano for the same.

While playing for Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo, among other club stars, agreed to slash their wages for four months to help the club recover financially, considering that Italy was one of the worst hit countries by a coronavirus.

The pay cut reportedly cost Cristiano Ronaldo a whooping £3.8m million.

Selling a Balloon d’Or Trophy

Cristiano Ronaldo is a five-time Ballon d’Or winner. In 2017, this kind-hearted footballer reportedly sold his Ballon d’Or replica to an Israel tycoon Idan Ofer during a charity auction in London.

Cristiano raised a whopping $705,000 after selling the trophy, which he then donated to the make-a-wish foundation. This foundation is based in Arizona and improves the wellness of children diagnosed with terminal illnesses.

Donating Win Bonus

In 2015, Cristiano Ronaldo was named the most charitable sportsperson following his kind donations to non-profitable organizations.

One of his most notable donations was in 2013 when he earned £89,000 in bonus for winning the UEFA team of the year award. Instead of pocketing his bonus given by the European governing body, he donated the money to Red Cross.

A year later, Cristiano Ronaldo picked up a bonus of £450,000 from Los Blanco after winning Real Madrid’s tenth champions league. Once again, he did not pocket the money but decided to divide the funds among three organizations, where he is also an ambassador--Save the ChildrenWorld Vision, and UNICEF.

Selling European Golden Boot

In 2011, Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the 2010/11 golden boot as the top scorer for the European leagues. This was his second golden boot win after he won his first one in 2008. Instead of keeping the golden boot, Cristiano reportedly sold it for €1.4m and donated the proceeds towards the construction of schools in a war tone, city-Gaza, Palestine.

Donating Blood and Bone Marrow

To Christiano, charity is not all about giving monetary things but also blood as well which helps the sick.

Cristiano has been donating blood at least twice a year for many years now. Unlike most of his peers, Ronaldo does not have tattoos because he avoids anything that could interfere with his blood donation act. This is because persons with a new ink on their body are advised to pause donating blood to reduce the risk of infections.

Cristiano also urges others to donate blood, provided they can do it. He fronts multiple blood donation campaigns in Italy and other countries.

Years back, Cristiano Ronaldo admitted to being a bone marrow donor to a teammate's son who had leukemia. The star urged people to support leukemia patients by donating bone marrow, if possible.

Donating To Nepal Earthquake Relief

In 2015, Cristiano donated a considerable amount of money towards a relief program for the earthquake. The earthquake killed more than 9,000 people in Nepal, left more than 22,000 injured, and caused immense damage.

Cristiano donated £ 5 million for the relief program to help the victims.

Donating Towards Cancer Treatment

Dolores Aveiro, Cristiano’s mother, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. She underwent a series of treatments that saw her recover shortly. Cristiano decided to thank the care center, which took care of his mum by donating £120,000.

In a similar case, Cristiano offered to settle a lifesaving treatment for a young boy with cancer.

Donating to a Child’s Brain Surgery

In 2014, Cristiano Ronaldo was asked to assist in medical treatment for a young boy suffering from a brain disorder. The child needed immediate medical surgery for a condition known as cortical dysplasia, and the total cost was $83,000. Ronaldo settled the amount and promised to assist in any follow-up medication.

Cristiano Ronaldo Has Had Significant Charity Involvement in His Career

Cristiano Ronaldo has touched many hearts and saved lives during his career. From giving charity funds to offering medical treatments and being an ambassador in nonprofit organizations, Cristiano has done a lot.

In addition to the above, Cristiano interacts well with fans and finds time to mentor young children. Most importantly, he never forgets kind gestures, as in the case of three women who gave him food when he was a hungry child. After a massive appeal, Ronaldo found one of those generous women and took her for dinner to show gratitude!

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Dana Hanson

Written by Dana Hanson

Dana has extensive professional writing experience including technical and report writing, informational articles, persuasive articles, contrast and comparison, grant applications, and advertisement. She also enjoys creative writing, content writing on nearly any topic (particularly business and lifestyle), because as a lifelong learner, she loves to do research and possess a high skill level in this area. Her academic degrees include AA social Sci/BA English/MEd Adult Ed & Community & Human Resource Development and ABD in PhD studies in Indust & Org Psychology.

Read more posts by Dana Hanson

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