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The global crisis surrounding the Coronavirus is making a strong impact on the sports world. With the majority of matches and games placed on hold until further notice, several sport institutions have suffered a decrease in incomes, putting their economic situation at risk. For this reason, two of the world's most famous soccer players, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, have accepted a noteworthy reduction in their salaries.
In that sense, the Portuguese star agreed to lower around 3.3 million dollars from his salary of $31 million from his team, Juventus of Italy. This way, the permanence of the hundreds of club workers will not be compromised during the crisis caused by COVID-19.
Moreover, the striker agreed to fight against the pandemic by financing two intensive care units for the Hospital de Santa María in Lisbon and the Hospital Santo Antonio in Porto, both located in his native Portugal.
Following his colleague’s solidarity spirit, Lionel Messi announced through a statement that he and his teammates from Barcelona Football Club have decided to reduce their income by up to 70%.
They also announced they will be making significant monetary donations so that the rest of the employees receive their wages in full and without any pay cuts.
The Argentine soccer star confirmed the news via social media. "The time has come to announce that aside from the 70% reduction from our salary during the Emergency State, we will also make contributions so that the club's employees can collect 100% of their salary, while this situation lasts,” read the statement.
The noble act of both sports stars was very well received by their followers, who applauded the gesture through positive comments during this difficult time.
The captain of the Argentina soccer team also expressed his displeasure at reports criticizing the team's delay in making such a decision. "We want to clarify that our will has always been to decrease our salary [...] Therefore, it doesn’t cease to surprise us that from within the club there were those who tried to put us under the magnifying glass [...]," he declared.