Giorgio Chiellini, Gigi Buffon and Fabio Cannavaro were three players at the heart of “Humanity’s Heroes”, a campaign launched by FIFA to show the footballing world’s global recognition of healthcare workers, volunteers and all the other key workers ensuring that society continues to function as we fight the Coronavirus epidemic in this time of great difficulty and emergency. Fifty stars of football’s past and present expressed their appreciation and support for these heroes of civil society through a collective round of applause captured in a video shared by FIFA on its own platforms and social media channels.

Along with the last three Azzurri captains, just a few of the other names to contribute to the campaign were Diego Maradona, Pelè, David Beckham, Iker Casillas, Samuel Eto'o, Pernille Harder, Kaká, Harry Kane, Carli Lloyd, Marta, Vivianne Miedema, Sergio Ramos, Wendie Renard, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, Marco van Basten, Daniëlle van de Donk, Javier Zanetti and Zinedine Zidane.

“To recognise the risks that doctors, nurses and other essential workers are having to take on a daily basis, football wants to show its support,” said Carli Lloyd, star of the US Women’s National Team. “They are on the front line of the coronavirus battle, working as a team to defend us, to protect us and to keep us healthy. It is thanks to their dedication and professionalism, supported by everyone else’s absolute commitment to following the rules of each national health authority, that we will win.”

Click here to watch the video.