Wales ace Gareth Bale has pledged his support to help combat coronavirus by participating in a FIFA tournament along with other football stars.
Bale went head-to-head with Paulo Dybala on the popular video game to raise funds for those affected by the pandemic.
Combat Corona is an initiative setup to help tackle Covid-19 and has received support from football players across the world – including Bale’s fellow international Daniel James.
Chelsea trio Mason Mount, Billy Gilmour and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Manchester United defender Luke Shaw and Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney are also involved in the initiative.
Bale, to the surprise of many viewers watching the livestream on the streaming service Twitch, opted for Manchester City over his current club.
While the Juventus star Dybala decided to play with the virtual version of Bale by selecting the La Liga giants.
Despite taking the lead courtesy of a strike from Sergio Aguero, Bale – who celebrated his goal with his trademark heart celebration – slumped to a 3-1 defeat against the Argentine.
The Welshman has come under fire during his time at Real Madrid for his perceived inability to grasp the Spanish language.
But the forward was conversing with Juventus star Dybala fluently in Spanish, with the pair encouraging live viewers to donate to Unicef, who are working to support children and families affected by the crisis.
The six-hour stream racked up more than 1million views throughout the day and has already raised £18,000 for the charity.
The main event is live with @GarethBale11 vs @PauDybala_JR in @EASPORTSFIFA 20 for the #CombatCorona charity event hosted by @SpencerOwen & @Castro1021
— Neil Duffy (@NeilDuffy) April 5, 2020
What a special and phenomenal day with over £16,000 raised for @UNICEF by @38Entertainment! @WorldGaming @Twitch @sportbible pic.twitter.com/B16fjuuBry
“During this difficult time, I want to give back and try to help in any way I can,” said Bale.
“Combat Corona is a great initiative that hopefully helps the fight against coronavirus and at the same time, entertains those who are unable to leave their homes.
“If we all do our part, we can beat this together.”
(Featured Image: Lewis Mitchell)
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