Professional footballers very rarely come from wealthy families, rather the opposite. Most footballers come from working households and households that have very little in the way of finances. Because of this, footballers are often very humble, down-to-earth people, who possess compassion that is not found in most of the world’s richest and most elite. It is this compassion that often drives footballers into philanthropy and motivates them to perform acts of kindness. Footballers are not just great because of their performance on the pitch, but rather, many of them are great for the things that they do off of the pitch.
By the end of this page, you will know why some of the world’s most renowned and greatest footballers were so great, and the things that they have done to help the world and help their sports. What makes some of the biggest football stars so great? Read on to find out.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is a footballer known for his philanthropy and his willingness to help people who come from underprivileged backgrounds. Ronaldo made thirty million Euros in 2019 alone, which came entirely from the Juventus football club, and was his salary. Ronaldo has been awarded many diplomatic titles for his charitable acts. According to the experts at ronaldo.com, while playing for Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo made a donation of 1.2 million Euros, which contributed to the construction of schools in Gaza.
He then donated a shirt worth thirty-seven thousand Euros to Save the Children – a charity which he became an ambassador for a year later. He has also donated over four-hundred and fifty thousand to UNICEF and World Vision. Ronaldo also donated over a hundred-thousand Euros to the Red Cross. He has been given the title, quite rightly, of the world’s most generous footballer. We can certainly see why!
Michael Essien
Michael Essien, a Chelsea midfielder and Jose Mourinho’s favorite, is one of the most charitable footballers in the entire world. Essien has donated huge amounts of money to provide basic necessities, such as schools, clean water, hospitals, and libraries in his hometown of Accra, the capital of Ghana. Essien made these donations in the name of his foundation ‘the Michael Essien Foundation’. Essien has donated hundreds of thousands to these charitable causes and is a human rights activist in his own right. Essien is definitely a very generous and charitable footballer, second only to Ronaldo.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is one of football’s most well-known faces, and one of the greatest footballers to ever walk the Earth. Messi is known across the globe for his exploits on the pitch – but very rarely does anyone talk of his exploits off of the pitch. Messi is a prominent philanthropist. He is a brand ambassador for UNICEF and has donated a lot of money to the Reach Out to Asia campaign, which helps to feed, tutor, and look after the less privileged children of Nepal, Indonesia, and Bangladesh.
Mario Balotelli
Balotelli, a former Manchester City player, known for his infamous mohawk hairstyle, is a very charitable footballer, and one who is a huge proponent of human rights and fair treatment throughout the world. Balotelli donates, every single year, half of his massive salary to human rights. Balotelli’s salary is in the millions – and he is one of the best-known footballers of the United Kingdom. Balotelli, who came from humble beginnings, believes very strongly in giving humanitarian aid to those who deserve it most and supports many charities and agencies who help less privileged children and adults globally.
David Beckham
David Beckham, the undisputed King of British football, and one of the most popular footballers to have ever walked the face of the Earth, also happens to be one of the most generous and charitable footballers that the game has ever produced. Beckham has a huge net worth – and is around four hundred and fifty million pounds. Beckham works closely with UNICEF and the Help For Heroes charity, a charity that helps ex-servicemen. He also founded the Victoria and David Beckham Trust and the Malaria No More Trust.
They work to help people from impoverished backgrounds and those who live in poverty-stricken countries. The Beckham’s have, together, donated millions of pounds to charity, and are huge proponents of human rights. David Beckham is unquestionably one of the most charitable footballers ever and is one of the most talented footballers, too. Beckham, despite having retired from football, still continues to commit to charity until this very day and gives away hundreds of thousands every single year.
Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt, a former infamous Liverpool F.C. player is known for his charitable exploits that stretch three continents. Kuyt has his own foundation, the ‘Dick Kuyt Foundation’ which feeds, clothes, and provides schooling for children in Holland, Kuyt’s native country, as well as in Nepal, Ghana, and Brazil. Kuyt’s foundation has been operating since 2006, and despite his retirement, still operates today.
Kuyt’s retirement came in 2007, with a career spanning almost twenty years. Kuyt is one of the best-known football player philanthropists of all time and has donated huge sums of money to charitable causes over the years.
Craig Bellamy
Craig Bellamy, a British Premier League legend, and one of the most known and loved footballers in the United Kingdom, is at the helm of his own foundation, the ‘Craig Bellamy Foundation’, which provides education, training, and healthcare in Sierra Leone. Bellamy has donated over one point four million of his own earnings to the charity – making him one of football’s biggest philanthropists.
Now, with the help of this page, hopefully, you will be able to see why some of football’s greatest players were not only legends on the field but off the field, too. Money brings out the true character of most people, and it has certainly shown that these men are, beyond all, kind and compassionate souls. It is without a doubt their troubled and turbulent upbringings that have helped these men become as generous as they are.
