Most Charitable Sport Stars: Ronaldo Tops the List

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has topped the list of world’s most charitable sport stars. It was bound to happen as Ronaldo donated millions of dollars of his fortune to worthy causes.

The 30-year-old Portuguese footballer was named the most charitable sportsperson by Dosomething.org, standing at the top of Athletes Gone Good list of 20 stars.

WWE superstar John Cena followed at second, Serena Williams was third, while Brazil’s football starlet, Neymar, was fifth in the list.

“(Ronaldo) raised money for various causes including donating more than $83,000 to a 10-year-old fan in need of brain surgery and giving more than $165,000 to fund a cancer centre in Portugal that treated his mother,”Dosomething.org stated.

“Ronaldo has also used his fame as a global spokesperson for a variety of causes including childhood hunger, obesity and biodiversity.”

The Real Madrid striker earns an estimated £230,000 a week salary (after tax deductions), excluding other deals and endorsements.

In May, Ronaldo reported gave £5 million to help the aid effort in Nepal following the earthquake that shook the world.

Cristiano Ronaldo has a history of being charitable. In 2004, he flew to help Indonesian tsunami victims after he saw footage of a young man in Portugal jersey with his name on the back.

“My father always taught me that when you help other people, then God will give you double,” Ronaldo stated in 2013. “And that’s what has really happened to me. When I have helped other people who are in need, God has helped me more.”

Nowadays, we rarely come across people who donate so generously to impact the lives across the world. Ronaldo is one of the very few athletes who donates as much as he does. Ronaldo once donated $83,000 for a child’s brain surgery. Among his many good-guy gestures, the mammoth amount that he donated to fund a Portuguese cancer center is a testament to the charity work that he performs as an individual. He had donated $165,000 for the noble cause. Ronaldo is worth about $108 million, and tops the list of famous footballers. In 2012, he auctioned his Golden Boot award to raise 1.5 million euros to build a school on the Gaza Strip.

Here’s the list of 20 most charitable sport stars (As expected, there’s no Indian cricketer on this list).

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Football)
2. John Cena (WWE)
3. Serena Wiliams (Tennis)
4. Yuna Kim (Figure Skating)
5. Neymar (Football)
6. Lebron James (Basketball)
7. Heather O’Reilly (Football)
8. Maria Sharapova (Tennis)
9. Mo’ne Davis (Baseball)
10. Richard Sherman (American Football)
11. Charlie White and Meryl Davis (Ice Dancing)
12. Dan Carter (Rugby)
13. Roman Reigns (WWE)
14. Ronda Ronsey (UFC)
15. Lindsey Vonn (Ski Racing)
16. Tom Daley (Diving)
17. Bethany Hamilton (Surfing)
18. Saina Nehwal (Badminton)
19. Paul Rabil (Lacrosse)
20. Shahid Afridi (Cricketer)

This content was last updated on 30 November 2020.