While the times that the world is facing are unprecedented, this is also a time for every single of us to stand up and do our bit to ensure that we make the world a better place.
And one such group that is standing up is footballers across the world.
Barcelona forward and Argentinian football icon Lionel Messi has contributed one million euros towards the fight against coronavirus. His donation will be shared between Hospital Clinic in Barcelona and another medical centre in Argentina.
Unfortunately, Spain has now become the center of the pandemic, reporting more than China did from the virus.
El #CLÍNIC ha rebut una donació de Leo Messi per fer front a la #Covid19. Aquest donatiu es dedicarà, entre d’altres coses, a la investigació i a l’adquisició d’equips de respiració assistida, utilitzats per atendre els pacients més greus.
?https://t.co/EZ4J9s0FNO pic.twitter.com/R6IKrssedR
— Hospital CLÍNIC (@hospitalclinic) March 25, 2020
Christiano Ronaldo has also contributed one million euros, the donation being split between hospitals in Lisbon and Porto in Portugal – his home country.
Earlier, Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich also donated 1 million euros to help fight the deadly outbreak in Germany.
Also, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville confirmed that the two hotels that he co-owns with his former Manchester United teammate Ryan Giggs will be made available to National Health Service (NHS) staff free of cost as they fight the battle from the front against coronavirus pandemic.
“Our 176 beds will be occupied by NHS workers and medical professionals,” Neville said in a video posted on social media site Twitter.
A message from our co-owner Gary Neville. @GNev2 @GG_Hospitality pic.twitter.com/avFn4DxReb
— Stock Exchange Hotel (@StockExHotel) March 18, 2020
“The whole of our industry needs to show solidarity, not just for our staff in these uncertain times but obviously for the people who need accommodation most in the coming months.”
“Health workers will be able to stay there without any cost whatsoever in the next few months when they need isolation away from family members who may be affected by what’s going on,” Neville said.
Meanwhile, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who hails from Spain and has also played for Barcelona previously, has also contributed one million euros towards the cause. He made made this generous contribution to a campaign launched by the Angel Soler Daniel Foundation and Medical College of Barcelona.
“The campaign aims to collect medical materials and financial contributions from collegiate doctors and the general population, for the purchase of medical equipment and equipment that is currently lacking in health centres in Catalonia,” said a statement from the college.
“It will also help finance the alternative production, through 3D printing and other methods, of respirators and personal protection equipment for healthcare staff.”
FIFA, the governing body of football in the world, has also pledged an amount of 10 million euros to combat the virus.
In a joint initiative, football clubs Manchester United and Manchester City have together contributed 100,000 pounds towards local food banks to fight off the threat of the virus to the most vulnerable groups of the society.
In a joint statement, City and United said, “We are proud of the role our supporters play in helping local food banks and recognise the increased strain likely to be placed on these charities by the impact of coronavirus. We are pleased to come together with our fans to help vulnerable members of society in a City United.”
It is definitely heartening to see so many influential people from across the world stand up and contribute when the world needs them to.
We wish and pray that the world is free of this lethal virus soon, and normalcy is restored in all parts of the world.
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