Barcelona captain Lionel Messi donates €1 million towards fighting coronavirus

Barcelona captain Lionel Messi is to donate around €1 million towards the coronavirus cause.

Government figures on Tuesday revealed that there have been almost 40,000 Covid-19 cases in Spain so far, with almost 2,700 deaths from the virus.

"Leo Messi makes a donation for the fight against Covid-19 at the Clinic. Many thanks for your commitment and your support," Barcelona's Hospital Clinic account wrote on Twitter on Tuesday evening.

The total amount was not specified in the tweet, but sources in Catalonia say the figure is around €1m, which would match the sum left by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola to the Barcelona Medical College earlier in the day. Part of the money will be given to a clinic in Argentina.

Also on Tuesday, the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, announced that Real Madrid had committed to making a 'big donation' to help purchase key medical supplies in the fight to combat coronavirus.

Messi has also taken part in several campaigns to raise awareness over the past week, highlighting the importance of staying at home and washing hands to avoid the virus from spreading.