Cristiano Ronaldo Did Not Donate £5 Million To The Nepal Relief Effort

Save the Children told BuzzFeed News that reports of a huge donation were not true.

Cristiano Ronaldo did not donate €7 million (£5 million) to the Nepal relief effort, Save the Children has revealed to BuzzFeed News.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno / Getty Images

The story that the Real Madrid star had given the money following the devastating earthquake last month appears to have originated from this report in the French football magazine So Foot. It was picked up around the world.

It was claimed that Ronaldo, a Save the Children ambassador, had chosen to donate €7 million because it matched his shirt number, 7.

But Save the Children has confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the reports were incorrect.

Denis Doyle / Getty Images

A spokesperson said: “The recent report of Ronaldo’s contribution towards Save the Children’s Nepal earthquake relief efforts is untrue.”

However, the 30-year-old has shared links to donation pages on his Twitter and Facebook pages.

Cristiano Ronaldo @Cristiano

Help the children affected by #NepalQuake by supporting @SavetheChildren’s relief efforts: http://t.co/yQdEv6XqkN

01:17 PM - 28 Apr 2015

Save the Children said the Portuguese star – who has an impressive record of charity work – had “used his voice and global visibility to raise awareness of critical issues facing the most vulnerable children around the world, including those affected by the 25 April earthquake in Nepal”.

BuzzFeed News has contacted Ronaldo's representatives for a comment.

A second earthquake struck Nepal this week, resulting in another 100 deaths after more than 8,000 died in the first, 7.8 magnitude quake.

Ahmad Masood / Reuters

You can find out more on how you can help the relief effort here.