Cristiano Ronaldo: A Humanitarian Par Excellence

Although there have been times when Cristiano Ronaldo has been in the news for the wrong reasons, his reputation as one of the most kindhearted footballers remains untainted.

This stems from the fact that the Portuguese international is adored by fans all over the world for his humanitarian work off the pitch.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner never fails to give back to the community having grown up amidst dire conditions himself.

In 2020, for instance, Ronaldo teamed up with his agent Jorge Mendes "to finance two intensive care units for critical patients suffering from Covid-19."

The donated sum of one million pounds catered for fans, monitors, infusion pumps, beds and other equipment that constitutes an equipped intensive care unit to provide care to Covid-19 patients.

Attesting to the humanitarian act of Ronaldo, the President of Lisbon's Santa Maria Hospital Daniel Ferro said: "We were contacted by Jorge Mendes, who volunteered with Cristiano Ronaldo to finance two intensive care units for critical patients suffering from COVID-19.

"There are fans, monitors, infusion pumps, beds ... all the equipment that constitutes an intensive care unit equipped to provide care to a Covid-19 patient.”

Sometime in 2017, he made news for using his global platform as a force for good when he opted to sell off his 2013 Ballon d'Or trophy at a charity auction in London.

His reason for opting to sell off one of his trophies was to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation which grants wishes to children with life-threatening conditions.

The gala dinner was a roaring success as Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or made a massive £530,000 for the organisation.

In a similar fashion in 2013, the Real Madrid legend donated his earning of £89,000 bonus to the Red Cross.

He had refused to cash the cheque awarded to him by the European governing body for being named in the UEFA Team of the year.

And most recently, the Al Nassr forward provided succour to quake victims in Turkey and Syria.

More than 44,000 people including Ghana international Christian Atsu died in Turkey as well as over 50,000 across neighbouring Syria as a result of the earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.6.

The former Manchester United player reportedly sent a plane load of care items to victims of areas affected by the disaster.

He also paid for tents, food packages, pillows and blankets, beds, baby food and milk and medical supplies to help aid the humanitarian effort.

Cristiano Ronaldo has sent a plane load of care items to the victims of recent earthquakes in Syria and Turkey.

He has paid for tents, medical supplies, warm clothes, bedding, food and baby supplies to boost the aid effort ? pic.twitter.com/ne4wK4n8tq

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 6, 2023

This is in addition to the Portuguese thoughtfulness of fulfilling the dream of a Syrian boy christened Nabil Saeed who had survived the chaos and wished to meet his idol, Ronaldo.

Saeed made the request to meet the Al Nassr February player of the month in a video shared on social media and received an invitation to watch the Al Nassr game against Al Batin in Riyadh which Ronaldo's team won 3-1 to move two points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League.

"When I saw Ronaldo, I thought it was a dream. 

"I didn't believe myself. When this dream would end, I didn't know. 

"I pray to God that it will not be a dream.

"I wish everyone could see Ronaldo. He is a very nice person," Saeed, who met the Portuguese forward before the match, told Reuters.