Messi thanked by hospital for 1 million donation

Lionel Messi has been thanked by a Barcelona hospital after making a donation to help fight the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 has caused havoc across the globe and subsequently brought the sporting world to a standstill, with more than 418,000 confirmed cases.

With sports largely unable to continue, many clubs and leagues are making decisions to safeguard their financial solvency, with lay-offs and salary deductions becoming more common.

But some high-profile individuals are sacrificing their own money to help the cause, with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola confirmed to have donated €1million to the Angel Soler Daniel Foundation.

Messi – a six-time Ballon d'Or winner – has made a contribution of his own to the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona.

A Tweet from the clinic on Tuesday read: "Leo Messi made a donation to fight against COVID-19 in the clinic.

"Thank you very much, Leo, for your support and your commitment."

Spain is the second worst-affected European nation with almost 40,000 people diagnosed with the virus, including over 2,800 deaths.