Messi Charity

 

In 2007 messi founded a charity called the Leo Messi Foundation to help vulnerable children get health care and eductation. As a result of Messi himself having medical difficulties as a child he has also offered argentine children diagnosed with illnesses medical care in spain and pays for all travel expenses to the country. The year of 2011 also seen Messi named as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF for supporting childrens rights. He also gave £600,000 to the refurbishment of a childrens hospital in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina as well  paying for the doctors to travel to Barcelona for training.

Last year Messi offered to pay the medical bills of a young 12 year old boy who suffers from a growth hormone deficiency which Messi himself suffered from as a boy. The boys dreams of becoming a proffesional football player had been shattered until the Barcelona star offered to pay for his medical costs until he turned 18. He also sent the boy a message encouraging him to be strong, GHD affects around 1 in 3800 births. Many people overlook football players to be greedy and self-centred but they don’t go to the bother of looking what the players do behind the scenes with Messi being a prime example although he is 1 of many doing charity work.  Messi’s net yearly salary is said to hit around 110 million euros to which he gives a considerable amount to charity.

Below is a question to Messi in an article from TotalBarca.Com

An adidas campaign is coming up, your Foundation has set up a children’s park for sick children at the Valle Hebron Hospital in Barcelona and it sponsors an exchange programme between doctors in Barcelona and your hometown Rosario. What can you tell us about these projects?
“I don’t know the details yet, but the adidas thing will be more focused on South America. There are children who suffer from exploitation and need all our support to be able to get an education, so that once they’re adults they have a chance in life. The doctor idea came from my dad: we’re going to give a grant to several doctors to enable them to finish their training here (in Barcelona). That way they can go back and put what they’ve learnt into practice in our homeland. And the park project is something important that we want to extend to other centres too. A Christmas visit we made to the hospital had a huge impact on me, that’s where the idea came from and a lot of people have got involved. Thank God, a lot of projects are coming to fruition.”

Typical of Messi’s way of looking at life despite all his wealth is the question he was next asked by the reporter –

This charitable streak is a characteristic you share with your good friend Ronaldinho, who is also known for his charity work with children.

 “There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a happy and smiling child. I always help in any way I can, even if it’s just by signing an autograph. A child’s smile is worth more than all the money in the world.”