Cristiano Ronaldo Tops List of Most Charitable Sportspersons

Cristiano Ronaldo is not only a mesmerizing soccer striker, but his charity work has made him one of the most loved athletes in the world. (Cristiano Ronaldo, Son and the Art of Ab Flexing)

Ronaldo has been named as the most charitable sportsperson in a list of 20 by a US website - Athletes Gone Good. The Real Madrid star has beaten the likes of WWE superstar John Cena (second) and Brazil's football captain Neymar (fifth).(Ronaldo Disguises as 'Homeless' Man, Tricks Madrid Locals)

The Portuguese national team captain's donation of $83,000 to a 10-year-old boy for brain surgery and a $165,000 donation to fund a Portuguese cancer treatment center are two of his major charitable acts recently.

The 30-year-old has also been an inspiration for a 2004 Indonesian Tsunami survivor -- Martunis, who has realised his dream by joining the Portugese football club Sporting Lisbon's academy. Martunis, who lost his sisters and mother to nature's fury, has received aid from Ronaldo over the years. (Ronaldo, Suarez, Messi Shortlisted for UEFA's Best Player Award)

The list also includes Indian badminton queen Saina Nehwal, who is an ambassador for a charity focused on funding small scale projects to aid children around the world.

World No.1 tennis star Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are third and eighth, respectively, while Pakistan's star cricketer 'Boom Boom' Shahid Afridi has also made it to the 20-athlete list.