Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo to build children's hospital in Chile

The 32-year-old also recently raised £600,000 for Make-A-Wish Foundation by selling his 2013 Ballon d'Or

Ronaldo with his five Ballon d'Or awards (Getty)

Cristiano Ronaldo is to build a children’s hospital in Chile, according to his lawyers.

The Real Madrid forward is joining Italian businessman Alessandro Proto in the venture in the Chilean capital of Santiago, with work due to be completed in 2020.

The paediatric hospital is reportedly just the first to be built in an initiative which will see many more built across South America.

“Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo will build a paediatric hospital in Santiago Chile, in 2020,” announced an official statement from New York-based law firm Brafman & Associates.

“Cristiano, up to now the only player in the history to have won the ‘The Best FIFA Award’ for the best player in the world, and Alessandro is very happy with this initiative.”

Ronaldo, who was recently named as the winner of the Ballon d’Or for a record fifth time, is the world’s highest-paid footballer according Forbes and the venture is just the latest as part of his humanitarian work.

The 32-year-old is an ambassador for Save the Children, Unicef and World Vision and earlier this year raised £600,000 for Make-A-Wish Foundation when he sold his 2013 Ballon d’Or trophy.