These will warm your heart.
Footballers often get accused of being detached from the ‘real world’ due to their levels of fame and wealth, but that’s not always the case.
Like all sports, things can get incredibly passionate during a match and it’s entirely understandable that you’ll dislike a player from a rival club. This being said, the following footballers all deserve massive credit for performing some incredibly kind and charitable gestures.
It’s easy to be cynical about athletes who earn vast sums of money but the following men have all used their status and fame to help other people.
Let us know if there are any other kindhearted players that deserve a mention.
Angel Rangel
Top marks: You may remember this story from a few years ago. The Spaniard had some spare food but rather than throw it out, he decided to drive around the snowy streets of Swansea in search of homeless people to feed.
Craig Bellamy
Top marks: The striker is no stranger to controversy but his charitable work goes largely unnoticed. The Craig Bellamy Foundation educates young people in Sierra Leone through their love of football.
A local development league also encourages children to attend school and undertake community projects in return for the chance to play football and develop their skills in the game.
James McClean
Top marks: Spent £1500 of his own money to buy a hand cycle bike for a young Derry girl with Spina Bifida after he happened to hear about her disability.
Sergio Aguero sitting next to the late Chris Shaw's son during yesterday's game. Great to see! #MCFC pic.twitter.com/AigOygTzBA
— The City Bulletin (@TheCityBulletin) October 29, 2015
Sergio Aguero
Top marks: Sat beside a young and grief stricken Man City supporter named Charlie Shaw, who had just lost his father to cancer, during City’s recent match with Crystal Palace.
Mesut Ozil
Top marks: Used his World Cup bonus to pay for 23 Brazilian children to have life saving surgery. The German was given a Laureus Award after this remarkable gesture.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Top marks: Donated €40,000 of his own money so the Swedish disabled team could travel and play at their World Cup.
Dirk Kuyt
Top marks: His charity helps disabled children in the Netherlands and the developing world.
Speaking with the Liverpool Echo he said “we started to support disabled children, providing them with all different kinds of sports. We’ve been doing that for the past four years and it’s been going really well. There is not enough money for these children to do the things they like to do. We’re able to give them the chance they deserve to play sports.”
Cristiano Ronaldo
Top marks: Named the most charitable athlete in the world and it’s easy to see why. Among many other kind gestures, the Real Madrid star has donated £53,000 to pay for a 10-month-old baby’s operation and a nine-year-old’s cancer patient’s medical expenses.
He was also happy to pay £105,000 to fund a research centre at the hospital where his mother was treated for cancer.
Lionel Messi
Top Marks: The Barcelona star is a UNICEF ambassador who has helped raise awareness of the suffering in Haiti after the horrific earthquakes. He also worked on campaigns for HIV prevention, education, and the social inclusion of disabled children.
The Leo Messi Foundation also provides access to health care, education, and sport for children.
David Beckham
Top Marks: Universally acknowledged as one of the nicest people in football, the former Man Utd winger is an absolute phenomenon when it comes to charity and social causes. He has spent a decade as a UNICEF ambassador and is a patron of Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS and Elton John’s AIDS Foundation.
Zinedine Zidane
Top marks: Here’s a small example of the aura and draw that the wonderfully gifted Frenchman will always have.
In 2007, he organised an exhibition match to take place in Thailand. The money that was raised helped build two schools and 16 three-bedroom houses for the disadvantaged people in the area.
He has been doing this ever since.
Didier Drogba
Top marks: We don’t blame you if you dislike the Chelsea icon for his ‘theatrics’ on the pitch but Drogba is an absolute saint when he’s way from the field.
Aside form his remarkable charity work, the striker played a vital role in bringing peace to the Ivory Coast after a bitter civil war.
This achievement saw him being listed in Time magazine’s top 100 most influential people in the world.
We’re aware that these 12 players are just the tip of the iceberg and if there are any other footballers who deserve a mention then please let us know.
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