Cristiano Ronaldo, Agent Jorge Mendes Donate €1M Toward Coronavirus Relief

Cristiano Ronaldo and agent Jorge Mendes pledged €1 million toward funding three intensive care units in Portugal to aid in coronavirus relief.

The donation will cover two ICUs in Santa Maria hospital in Lisbon and one at the Santo Antonio hospital in Porto.

"We were contacted by Jorge Mendes, who volunteered with Cristiano Ronaldo to fund two intensive care units for critically ill patients with COVID-19," Santa Maria President Daniel Ferro said. "There are fans, monitors, infusion pumps, beds, all the equipment that makes up an intensive care unit equipped to provide assistance to a patient infected with COVID-19."

There have been more than 2,300 coronavirus cases and 33 deaths in Portugal. The government shut down all non-essential businesses last week, and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa went into self-isolation earlier this month "to be an example," he said, per Reuters.

Paulo Barbosa, president of the board of Centro Hospitalar Universitario do Porto, thanked Ronaldo and Mendes for their donation.

"This unit will allow the opening of 15 intensive care beds, fully equipped with fans, monitors and other equipment," Barbosa stated. "The Centro Hospitalar Universitario do Porto thanks Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Mendes for this very useful initiative, at a time when the country needs everyone so much."