Playing the most followed sport in the world surely has huge perks. While majority of the footballers love the high and focus on splurging their fortune on living an extravagant life, few take the humble route of philanthropy and use their money and power to help others.
Here is the list of five most charitable players in the world of football.
Hector Bellerin
Hector Bellerin has donated big money for charitable causes in the past. He even auctioned his football boots to raise money to support good causes. The Spaniard made headlines last year in June when he donated £50 for every minute he played in the Under-21 European Championships to help the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.
And after playing for 381 minutes for his country, the Arsenal star ended up donating £19,050 to the British Red Cross.
In one of his Tweets last year, Hector wrote, “Everyone I need your help!! I’m looking for a community cause / charity to donate a load of @pumafootball boots to (adult & kids sizes). Please send me your suggestions and I’ll do my best to go through them and deliver them.” After his Tweet, he was bombarded with messages.
Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba is a symbol of hope for his country Ivory Coast. The footballer played a major role in bringing peace to his country. After Ivory Coast qualified for the 2006 World Cup, Drogba made a public plea along with his teammates to stop the civil war in his country, post which ceasefire was declared.
The former Chelsea star also joined hands with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to help promote a charitable cause in Africa. He also formed his own charitable trust, Didier Drogba Foundation, which is very active in Africa.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has hit headlines time and again for his charitable work. One of the most philanthropic footballers, Messi has been UNICEF’s goodwill ambassador since 2010. The Argentine star has been constantly involved in work related to the welfare of children with disabilities.
The Barcelona star also has his own charitable trust, The Leo Messi Foundation. His trust regularly contributes to medical research and the establishment of medical and football centres in Spain, Argentina and other countries.
He just donated £2.37million to help fund a major new childhood cancer centre in Barcelona. And this is not it, Messi through his trust helped raise a total of £26.4million to help combat childhood cancer in Spain.
David Beckham
David Beckham is associated with UNICEF since his Manchester United days and became its goodwill ambassador in 2005. He has associated himself with various causes, including AIDS awareness and fighting atrocities against children. He is also the founding member of the NGO Malaria No More, which aims to reduce Malaria cases in Africa.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Named the most charitable footballer in 2015, Cristiano Ronaldo has involved himself in many charitable works. Along with making headlines for visiting earthquake-hit Indonesia in 2005 to help in construction and rehabilitation work, he has funded many philanthropic projects in his career. He even auctioned his 2013 Ballon d’Or trophy and raised £6,00,000, which he donated to Make A Wish foundation.
The Juventus star even made huge contributions to help the children in Syria.
