LONDON, April 23 — Wales captain Gareth Bale and his wife have donated Wales captain Gareth Bale and his wife have donated £500,000 (RM2.7 million) to a Welsh health charity to help in the fight against coronavirus, he said on Wednesday.

The Cardiff-born Bale, who plays for Real Madrid, and his wife Emma have donated the money to the charitable arm of the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

Bale was born in the hospital the donation will go to.

"Gareth and Emma have donated a whopping £500,000 to the Health Charity — a charity which focuses on providing those extras for staff and patients that normal NHS funding doesn’t provide,” the board said in a statement.

"It was Gareth and Emma’s wishes that the Health Charity spend the money towards the response to Covid-19.”

"They wanted to give something back to their local NHS as Gareth himself was born in the UHW (University Hospital of Wales) Maternity Unit, and they say UHW have provided many services to themselves and their family and friends.”

More than 180,000 people in Britain have been infected by the virus and more than 18,000, including dozens of health workers, have died.

"The University Hospital of Wales holds a special place in my heart. It is where I was born,” Bale said in a video message.

"Me and my family would like to show our support. Keep up the good work. You are doing an amazing job.” — Reuters