Ilkay Gundogan has made a significant donation to help support the people of Heinsberg after the German district was hit badly by the coronavirus.
The Manchester City midfielder is fronting an initiative to provide a shopping service for those in need, while also gifting care packages for nursing staff helping to contain the virus.
Alongside the 29-year-old, the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM), Heinsberg County, the amateur club SVG Birgden-Langbroich-Schierwaldenrath and a supermarket in Birgden will collaborate to reduce the strain on the community.
“In Manchester, I followed the news of the situation in Germany closely. I was struck with the pictures from the particularly badly affected district of Heinsberg,” Gundogan explained.
“That is why I wanted to start a relief action exactly where the need is greatest.
“Thank you to the football club SVG Birgden-Langbroich-Schierwaldenrath which are supporting me with all the deliveries and can hand them over on my behalf.
“We footballers – whether amateur or professional – must show this solidarity and together support those people who urgently need our help.”
There have been close to 50,000 cases of the virus across Germany as of 28 March, with 325 confirmed deaths.
