Citing reports in France several British news portals, including The Telegraph and Daily Mail, carried the report on Saturday. The Daily Mail cited French sports magazine So Foot which reported the 30-year-old forward handing the money to the charitable organisation Save the Children, which is helping survivors of the earthquake that killed over 7,500 people.

Last month, the 2014 Fifa Ballon d’Or winner also called upon his vast Facebook following of over 100 million people to donate to the children’s charity.  “Help the children affected by #NepalQuake by supporting Save the Children’s relief efforts,” Ronaldo wrote on his Facebook page.

“It is by no means the first charitable act by Ronaldo, who is believed to have paid for a 10-month old boy to have brain surgery last year. And in 2004 he flew to the aid of Indonesian tsunami victims after he saw footage of a young man wearing a Portugal shirt with his name on the back,” wrote Daily Mail.

Tennis star Rafael Nadal, retired Indian cricket Sachin Tendulkar, England and Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney and Pakistan cricketer Younis Khan were among a host of international sports stars who have already expressed solidarity with earthquake-ravaged Nepal.

Most of them conveyed their messages through social media immediately after the devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake jolted Nepal.

Nadal took to Twitter to express his “support to the families of the victims of the terrible earthquake” in Nepal. Tendulkar had tweeted: “Unprecedented damage caused by the massive earthquake. People braving the situation, authorities trying to help.”

Ahead of the Spanish League match between Barcelona and Getafe last week, players also observed a minute of silence in memory of the earthquake victims. Khan, who scored 148 in the first innings of their second Test against Bangladesh, on Wednesday dedicated his knock to the people of Nepal.