Neymar has secretly donated £770,000 to Unicef and a fund set up by Brazilian celebrities. The Paris Saint-Germain forward’s private contribution was revealed by Brazilian TV show Fofocalizando.
The money will go towards the treatment of Covid-19 patients and support for those who need it as lockdowns sweep the globe.
Sports stars all over the world have pledged money to help fight the outbreak. Barcelona’s footballers agreed a 70 per cent pay cut last month, while this week Brighton manager Graham Potter became the second Premier League head coach to take a voluntary salary reduction after Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe.
On Thursday, the health secretary Matt Hancock called on Premier League players to take pay cuts to help ease the burden on non-playing staff.
