Brighton winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh ‘donates £6,000 to help his poverty-stricken home town fight coronavirus’ after more than 1,100 deaths in Iran
- Iran has been hit badly by coronavirus, with over 17,000 cases and 1,100 deaths
- Alireza Jahanbakhsh has reportedly made a £6,000 donation to his home town
- The Brighton winger began his journey to professional football in Qazvin, Iran
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Brighton winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh has reportedly made a donation of £6,000 to help his home town in their fight against coronavirus.
The Iran international grew up in poverty-stricken Qazvin and began his journey to professional football by playing for local teams in the area.
Despite now plying his trade in the Premier League, Jahanbakhsh has not forgotten his roots according to The Sun.
Brighton winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh has reportedly made a donation to his home town in Iran
The forward, who has 50 caps for his country, is said to have given a billion rials – the equivalent of around £6,000 – to his local area.
Coronavirus has hit Iran particularly badly, with over 17,000 confirmed cases and more than 1,110 deaths as of Wednesday.
Jahanbakhsh also took to Instagram to take part in the Stay At Home Challenge, which sees footballers perform keepy-ups – often with toilet roll – while washing their hands.
In the clip, the Brighton star urges people to stay safe while performing skills with a mini ball at home.
Jahanbakhsh, pictured in action for Iran in September, 2019, has won 50 caps for his country
The Seagulls paid a then club record fee of £17million to sign Jahanbakhsh from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar in 2018.
He failed to score in his first his season at the Amex but finally broke his duck against Bournemouth last December before crying tears of joy during his celebration.
His second goal for Graham Potter’s side, a spectacular overhead kick to earn a draw against Chelsea on New Year’s Day, won him January’s Goal of the Month award.