Cristiano, who in March donated $83,000 to pay for an operation for a young boy suffering from a rare brain disorder, is also a bone marrow donor.

Last year he told a Spanish radio station that he became aware of the need for bone marrow donations after watching the son of one of his teammates struggle to find a donor. The Portugal soccer star, who has helped to spread the word about donation for years, encourages his fans to consider donating bone marrow.

“It was the time when Carlos [Martins] was with us on the national team. He told us about the problem with his son and we, the players, showed great unity to help him and his son because we knew it was a very complicated situation.” Donating bone marrow “is something a lot of people think is a difficult thing to do but it’s nothing more than drawing blood and doesn’t hurt.”

“It is something a lot of people think is a difficult thing to do but it’s nothing more than drawing blood and doesn’t hurt,” he said. “It doesn’t cost anything. It’s a simple process and then you feel happy because you know you are helping another person.”