France & Juventus Star Blaise Matuidi Reveals He Donated World Cup Winning Bonus to Charity

France and Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi has revealed that he donated his bonuses for winning the World Cup to charity, like his teammate Kylian Mbappe.

Les Bleus received $38m for lifting the World Cup in Russia last summer, with each member of Didier Deschamps' 23-man squad picking up a bonus of $330,000.

At the time, it was revealed that Mbappe was donating all of his World Cup earnings to Premiers de Cordée, a charity that organises sporting activities for children with disabilities.

Matthias Hangst/GettyImages

Now, Matuidi has revealed to Le Journal du Dimanche that he too donated his winnings to his own charity, Les Tremplins Blaise Matuidi, which aims to reintegrate impoverished children into society through sports.

"We’re all free to make that decision [of donating] and making it public but yes, I donated the money to my association," revealed Matuidi.

"Kylian [Mbappe] is absolutely right when he says that we earn a lot of money. For us it’s not much, but what we do is huge for them.

"The most important thing is that it comes from the heart and we do it because we really care. When I see a child smile, it fills me with happiness."

Matuidi's charity has also helped to renovate an orphanage in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which he plans to visit at the end of the season.

Like many of his French teammates, Matuidi grew up in the banlieues of Paris, and these are the areas that his charity is aiming to support.

Last week, Matuidi received a trophy at the annual Peace and Sport Awards in Rhodes for his charity work.