Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has come to the rescue of a young Portuguese goalkeeper.
Ronaldo offered his help after hearing that Joao Santos — an 18-year-old goalkeeper with Amora in Portugal — had suffered cruciate ligament damage in his left knee.
Santos originally intended to finance the operation himself by auctioning a pair of boots given to him by Ronaldo when he was at Sporting Lisbon.
The United winger was so touched when he learned of the youngster’s plight he told him to stop the auction and offered to pay his hospital costs.
So far Ronaldo has paid a £4,000 bill for the operation by leading surgeon Antonio Martins at the Sant Ana Hospital in Cascais.
He is also paying out £200 a week for Santos’ rehabilitation sessions with the Portuguese national team physiotherapist Antonio Gaspar.
A pal of Santos told the News of the World: “Joao knew Cristiano when he was a very junior player at Sporting and was given the first pair of boots that Ronaldo wore on his debut.
“Joao was going to sell the boots to raise the money but Cristiano wouldn’t let him.
“Ronaldo’s action makes the nation feel very proud of him.”
Amora, second in the Setubal regional league, have serious cash problems and have no masseur or doctor.
http://www.asiaplatetv.net/readnews...ldo rescues career of young Portuguese keeper
Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to help "in whatever possible way" following the storm on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
At least 42 people have been killed by floods and mudslides that devastated the holiday archipelago, where Real Madrid forward Ronaldo was born.
The 24-year-old is set to play in a charity game in Maderia, organised by Portuguese champions Porto.
Porto reported on their website that their team will play the match, for which a date has not yet been announced, against players from Madeira clubs Maritimo and Nacional.
"(Club president) Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, got involved in the contacts which led to the confirmation that Cristiano Ronaldo is available to play in the match," they added.
Ronaldo, who moved to the Bernabeu from Manchester United in a world record £80million deal last summer, scored a brilliant free-kick opener in last night's 6-2 defeat of Villarreal, which he dedicated to the victims of the disaster.
"Nobody can be indifferent to such a tragedy, especially me," said Ronaldo on Real Madrid's official website,
www.realmadrid.com.
"I was born and raised on the island. It's given me so much. This is why I want to make myself available to help in whatever possible way.
"I would like to help official bodies and organisations to minimise the effects of this great tragedy and to get over them as soon as possible."
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/stand...aldo-ready-to-help-in-madeira-storm-crisis.do
Don't know if he actually played in it, but Ronaldo is not the whiney, classless git that people make him out to be.
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