Ever witnessed magic in front of your eyes? Watch Lionel Messi play and perhaps you'll get a glimpse of the kind of beauty that makes you stop in your tracks and just stare for some time.
Despite his rapidly rising celebrity status and moments of sheer brilliance on the field, the Barcelona star's good work off the field is also enough to earn him more than his fair share of plaudits.
The 32-year-old did not have an easy life by any means. As a child, he suffered from a growth deficiency and required regular injections as part of his treatment. That did not diminish his love for the beautiful game in any way.
It's not very often that a footballer can win hearts on the field and off it but Messi - like in many other cases - is an exception. To be fair, this article is simply not enough to shed light on the extent of his generosity but here are some of his top acts of kindness over the years.
1. Donating €1million to fight coronavirus
With countries across the world currently on lockdown to prevent the deadly virus from spreading, the daily lives of millions of people have taken a severe hit. In addition to losing their income, many are suffering due to a lack of food and basic necessities as well.
These are troubling times indeed and Messi has led from the front, making a donation of €1million to treat those affected by COVID-19 and also help towards research for the same.
2. Investing £30m into a Barcelona hospital
Last year, Messi donated £30m to build an oncology centre for children at the Hospital Sant Joan de Déu. In fact, it has the makings of being one of the biggest in Europe - especially since the hospital is already famous for providing the best childcare services.
Estimated to officially open doors in the latter half of 2020, this project will be spearheaded by the footballer's own foundation.
3. Visiting Haiti following the devastating earthquake
Back in July 2010, Messi took time out of his busy schedule to visit the Central American country about six months after the earthquake.
A proud UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, he visited Haiti to highlight the plight of the people who had suffered and nearly lost everything. Although he was there for a day, he visited the Carrefour Aviation - a camp that housed 50,000 Haitians who had become homeless.
4. Donating €670,000 to refurbish a Rosario hospital
Hailing from the small town of Rosario, Messi never hesitates to give back to the place he came from.
In addition to donating a sizeable sum of €670,000 to refurbish a children's hospital, the Argentine also flew in top-notch doctors from Barcelona to train and educate the local staff further. Talk about class!
5. Paying a 12-year-old boy's medical bills
Waleed Kashash, a Moroccan youngster, was diagnosed with the same growth deficiency that we discussed earlier - something that Messi suffered from as a child.
The youngster dreamt of being a footballer but the escalating cost of treatment was something his family could not afford. At a time when his health condition appeared to diminish his ambitions, the Barcelona star pledged to shoulder the responsibility of paying his medical bills for six years.
6. The not so curious case of Murtaza Ahmadi
Imagine a six-year-old kid in Afghanistan running around with a plastic bag fashioned as a jersey with Messi written at the back. That was the young Murtaza Ahmadi, whose innocent love for the prolific attacker turned him into a viral internet sensation.
Once it came to his notice, Messi sent him personally signed shirts and a football. Eventually, Ahmadi met his idol in person which gifted us this incredibly adorable moment on the field.
It was truly a life-changing moment for the young boy - possibly one that he will cherish for an entire lifetime.
7. Building classrooms for kids in war-torn Syria
Most of us simply cannot imagine what life has been reduced to in Syria. Amidst constant fear of bombings and attacks, the people are forced to live one day at a time.
In addition to a massive disruption in daily life, numerous schools have also been destroyed in the country. And Messi stepped up to the plate as his foundation helped build 20 classrooms in affected regions, thus bettering the lives of nearly 1,600 displaced children.
Bonus - Messi's wedding plans
On a day when it is okay to completely focus on yourself and your significant other, Messi still took the time to think about others.
In a special request to all of his wedding guests, the Barcelona hitman urged them to not buy gifts and instead, donate the money to his foundation. It truly doesn't get more selfless than this, does it?
He also donated all the leftover food and drinks from the celebration to his local food bank.
What say, Barcelona fans? Inspired to follow Messi's footsteps yet?
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