Lionel Messi, Pep Guardiola Donate €1m Each to Fight COVID-19

Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola have each donated one million euros to help fight the coronavirus in Spain and Argentina. Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

Barcelona superstar Lion donated el Messi and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola have each €1 million to help fight against coronavirus. The money will be particularly useful in helping Spain's medical system, the second-most impacted European country behind Italy, that has been overwhelmed with cases of COVID-19.

The Argentinian winger's seven-figure donation will be split between two locations. One recipient of his money will be the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, while the other will be a medical center in his home town of Rosario, Argentina.

ESPN reports that the total donation will be around €1 million. Messi has donated large sums to medical causes in the past, helping to fund a new cancer wing at the Sant Joan de Deu children's hospital in Barcelona.

Guardiola, a former player and manager of Barcelona, will be sending his donation to the Barcelona Medical College and the Angel Soler Daniel foundation.

Spain is behind only Italy, which recently became the country with the most coronavirus deaths in the world, in terms of total cases, as the European nation with the most coronavirus infections. There have been more than 40,000 cases of the disease reported in the country, and over 3,000 people have died because of it.

March 25, 2020