Rafael Nadal & Pau Gasol's COVID-19 relief campaign raises whopping €14 million

Rafael Nadal and Pau Gasol had launched a fundraising initiative called #NeustraMajorVictoria (#OurBestVictory) in March, encouraging donations from the world of Spanish sports to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initiative, a part of the #CruzRojaResponde (Red Cross Responds) project, aimed to raise €11 million to help around 1.35 million Spaniards stricken by the pandemic. It has now been revealed that the generous contributions made by the Spanish sporting fraternity yielded €14 million, which exceeded the projected estimate by €3 million.

#TENISxESPN La iniciativa solidaria #NuestraMejorVictoria, impulsada por @paugasol y @RafaelNadal junto a la Cruz Roja, ha superado la meta prevista cuando se puso en marcha con el objetivo de ayudar a los damnificados por el #coronavirus.https://t.co/mwzUG1MNfY

— ESPN Tenis (@ESPNtenis) June 8, 2020

A plethora of Spanish sporting personalities responded to the initiative. Renowned Spanish tennis players like Feliciano Lopez and David Ferrer were joined by their WTA compatriots Garbine Muguruza and Carla Suarez Navarro in contributing to the cause.

Race car drivers Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz, football goalkeeper Iker Casillas, track and field athletes Bruno Hortelano and Orlando Ortega, yachtswoman Theresa Zabell, MotoGP rider Marc Marquez, kayaker Saul Craviotto and shuttler Carolina Marin were the other notable Spanish sportspersons who threw their hat in.

Rafael Nadal said in this regard that the Spanish sporting world has accomplished something 'beautiful' for a noble cause:

"I think that between all of us we have achieved something important and also beautiful, not only for the collection, which today is over 14 million euros, so that goal has been fully achieved, but for the camaraderie and solidarity that you have shown us," Nadal said.

Gasol, on his part, thanked Rafael Nadal for proposing an initiative that had the potential to have such tremendous impact. The NBA legend further said that when the sporting world musters a united response, 'incredible' results can be obtained.

"That concern came from you so thanks for sharing it with me and doing something different and important at this level," Gasol said.

How did Rafael Nadal and Pau Gasol's initiative come about?

Rafael Nadal (left) and Pau Gasol

With over 288,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 27,000 fatalities, Spain is one of the worst-affected countries in mainland Europe. The crisis-like situation in the country was dominating many conversations two months ago, including those of superstar athletes.

During an interaction between the two good friends over Instagram in March, Rafael Nadal proposed the #NeustraMajorVictoria campaign, which Pau Gasol readily accepted.

Ha llegado la hora de que entre todos consigamos #nuestramejorvictoria💪🏼 Colabora en el proyecto #CruzRojaResponde enviando tu aportación a ES44 0049 0001 5321 1002 2225. Mi donación y la de @RafaelNadal ya están en camino. ¿Te unes?👉🏼 https://t.co/Tz5eDBIu3x pic.twitter.com/eAqhfGyJ2y

— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) March 26, 2020

Rafael Nadal had said at the time that the Spanish fans had supported athletes through thick and thin, so during the COVID-19 crisis it was the responsibility of the sporting world to express solidarity with the people.

“You have always been on our side during happy times and difficult times. You have always been understanding… We athletes are what we are largely thanks to your support. Now is the time that we cannot let you down,” Nadal said.

“It occurred to me to ring my friend Pau [Gasol] and he was also thinking about doing something. We reached the conclusion that now is the time to launch this initiative, which we hope that the whole of Spanish sport will get behind,” Nadal added.