Gabriel Jesus has donated 400 food baskets to his childhood neighbourhood in Sao Paulo to help them in their fight against coronavirus.

The Manchester City striker is doing his bit in his home country of Brazil, which has suffered over 500 deaths since the outbreak of the disease.

His donation of basic food boxes arrived at Jardim Peri, where a graffiti mural of the national team striker adorns the neighbourhood, on Monday.

He was triggered into action by former Brazil winger Ze Roberto, a former team-mate of his at Palmeiras, who has been challenging compatriots to chip in.

Jesus told Brazilian outlet Globo: ‘Ze Roberto is a friend of mine, a guy who is always starting initiatives, always thinking about the next one. And I really like being able to help whenever we can.

‘He set a challenge to donate basic food baskets at this moment when many people are having difficulty and I accepted.

‘I decided to send the baskets to the place where I grew up, which is Jardim Peri. I hope I can help everyone get through this period in the best possible way.’

It is not the first time Jesus has given back to his local community.

Back in 2014, a 17-year-old Jesus painted the streets yellow and green as they cheered on Brazil at the World Cup.

The picture went viral four years later when Jesus led the line as his country’s No 9 at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Jesus’ generosity comes after his manager Pep Guardiola, whose 82-year-old mother died on Monday after contracting coronavirus, donated £920,000 to fight the disease in Spain.