When the fans are cheering for their favorite teams in Brazil, people also notice that many soccer players give back to the society by doing charity work. Many of these philanthropic soccer players use their fame and foundations to help those in need. These top five soccer players go to a great length to help the poor and the vulnerable.

Source : SoccerTimes

1. David Beckham

Beckham is probably one of the most famous soccer players in the world. The former England national soccer team captain is also dedicated to charity work. He is one of the founders of the Malaria No More UK leadership council. His launched his own charity, the Victoria and David Beckham Charitable Trust, to give wheelchairs to disabled children. In total the Victoria and David Beckham’s trust has given nearly 1 million pounds to help hundreds of children from 2005 to 2010.

2. Didier Drogba

Didier Drogba is the captain and top scorer of Côte d’Ivorie National team. His charity foundation, Didier Drogba Foundation, has main goal of to preventing malaria in Africa. Its campaign brings awareness of malaria through media, distributes medical materials and delivers life-saving prevention methods. Dider Drogba is also a pacifist. As a popular figure in Ivory Coast, he successfully helped to negotiate a cease-fire after five years of civil war in the country.

3. Nwankwo Kanu

Nwankwo Kanu was a legendary player in Nigeria. He was the Capitan of Nigerian National Team, and also a UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) ambassador. Kanu was diagnosed with a heart defect, but he coped with his disease and showed his soccer talent. Kanu established his “Nwankwo Kanu Heart Foundation” (KHF) in 2000, to help children in Nigeria and other African countries obtain heart surgeries and cardinal treatment needed. KHF had over 415 heart surgeries with a surprising 98.5 percent success rate.

4. Craig Bellamy

Craig Bellamy was a former Welsh soccer player and played for Liverpool, West Ham United and Manchester City. His foundation “Craig Bellamy Foundation,” based in Sierra Leone, gives children living in poverty the chance to play soccer and build new lives. When Craig Bellamy visited Sierra Leone in 2007, he saw the desperate poverty and also the local children’s passion for soccer games. He decided to use sports and education to inspire change in the region.

5. Dirk Kuyt

Dirk Kuyt is a famous Dutch soccer forward. Dirk Kuyt launched his own charity, the Dirk Kuyt Foundation, which helps homeless children in Holland and around the world. The foundation also supports and organizes events for people with disabilities. It believes that sports fun is for everyone, including those with disabilities.

– Jing Xu

Sources: Mirror, Didier Drogba Foundation, KANU, Craig Bellamy Foundation, Dirk Kuyt Foundation
Photo: Mama Mia