Neymar has emerged as the player behind a huge £775,000 donation towards the worldwide coronavirus cause, according to a report in Sky Sports.
According to the report, the Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain star made the donation divided between UNICEF and a special fund in his home country Brazil.
This comes after Ballon d’Or winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both pledged huge sums of money towards organisations dealing with the coronavirus epidemic, earlier last month.
Neymar chose to keep the donation a secret but was revealed as the benefactor on Brazilian national television.
Speaking on Brazilian television, presenter Chris Flores said:
“Neymar donated R$5m [around £775,00] to fight COVID.
“He made this donation at the beginning of last week. Part of it went to UNICEF, and part to that solidarity fund that was created by artists.
“He preferred not to publicly disclose [the donation], so we’re telling everyone, because as soon as we pull the ear, we also talk when the person does something nice.
“We have this information, I brought it to you. We really think it’s a very cool, very positive attitude, and one that serves as an incentive for other sportsmen, for other personalities.”
Players across European leagues are being forced to take pay cuts like those announced by European heavyweights Juventus and Barcelona, however, that hasn’t stopped them from donating to charity.
This gesture by Neymar shows he has a big heart in these times of crisis and the Brazilian has followed suit of other football players in making a donation towards charitable organisations dealing with the coronavirus.