[UPDATE Dec 2017] The athlete who won 4 golden shoes and 5 golden balls announced to help build a children’s hospital in Chile.
Soccerplayer & Humanitarian
Cristiano is with Real Madrid, but when he isn’t busy playing soccer, he tries to make the world a better place, little by little. Watch the inspiring video below.
[UPDATE 18 December 2017] Ronaldo helps build a children’s hospital in Chile
On 18 December 2017 it was announced that Cristiano Ronaldo is to fund the construction of a children’s hospital in Santiago, Chile, according to his lawyers. In a statement from New York-based law firm Brafman & Associates, it’s noted the pediatrics facility will be finished before the year 2020. Italian businessman Alessandro Proto will also support the construction, according to bleacherreport.com
Our previous update on Ronaldo’s positive initiatives, was from June 2016. Ronaldo was born and raised on the Portuguese island Madeira. In spring 2016, the island was hit by severe wildfires that have claimed the lives of 3 people, injured many and destroyed many homes. Two days after the start of the wildfires, Ronaldo has offered the island an undisclosed amount of financial aid to help people recover from this disaster.
UEFA Cup win-bonus of €600.000 for charity
Right after winning the UEFA Champions league with Real Madrid in June this year, Ronaldo received a win bonus of €600.000. Ronaldo made it public that he donated this large bonus to a charity. As fas as we know, he is the only player of Real Madrid that showed this much generosity.
Humble origins
Cristiano grew up in one of the poorest areas of Funchal; the capital of the tiny island Madeira. His father was a city gardener and his mother a cook. When he started playing soccer at the age of 9, his teammates made fun of him because his dad cleaned the locker rooms for a bit of extra money. Ronaldo certainly wasn’t stopped by the mockery; it made him train even harder.
At age eleven, Cristiano moved to Portugal by himself to joint he SCP. When he was fourteen, his dad became an alcoholic en his brother struggled with addiction. This too only made him work harder. His father died when Cristiano was just 20 and as a consequence, he refrains from drinking alcohol and he fully supportshis brother.
Lending a helping hand to even the youngest
Cristiano has helped many people, but his core demographic is the little ones. When he was asked to donate a shirt to raise funds for a vital operation for eleven months old Erik, he didn’t just donate a shirt; he paid for his full treatment!
Schools and Shoes
In 2005 he visited young Martunis, an Indonesian tsunami survivor. He raised funds and paid for the education of the young survivor. Now, eleven years later, Martunis is signed by Cristiano’s old club; Sporting Lisbon.
In order to raise money to help rebuild schools in Gaza, he donated his golden shoe for over 1.5 million euros.
Cristiano doesn’t have a single tattoo, because he is a regular blood donor.
I’m not going to change the world, you are not going to change the world, but we can help. We can all help.
