SANTIAGO – Portugal’s star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo will fund a children’s hospital in the Chilean capital, Santiago do Chile.
A statement from the Real Madrid forward’s management explained this first unit will be built through a partnership with Italian real estate mogul Alessandro Proto, and construction should start in 2020.
It may be the first of many pediatric hospitals the player intends to build through South America.
“Cristiano, up to now the only player in the history to have won the The Best FIFA Award for the best player in the world, and Alessandro is very happy with this initiative,” according to a statement from New York-based law firm Brafman & Associates.
Ronaldo, regarded by many as the best player in the world, is actively involved in different types of charity work.
Ronaldo himself has donated blood regularly, while he’s an ambassador for Save the Children, Unicef and World Vision too.
Earlier this year, the Real Madrid forward also raised £600,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation when he sold the 2013 Ballon D’Or trophy he won. In 2015, Ronaldo was also named as the world’s most charitable athlete.
Earlier in the year, Forbes named Ronaldo as the highest-earning athlete in world, with an annual income estimated at $93 million (£70 million).
