Palestinians to honor Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo as 'Person of the Year'

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo will on Friday be honored as "Person of the Year" by the Palestinian Real Madrid F.C. fan club in cooperation with Lady of the Earth Foundation.

Ronaldo’s many charitable works, particularly his support for children affected by war, deserve to be appreciated by Palestinians and Real Madrid fans, the club's chief said in November.

Around 1,200 figures from Palestinian public and political life will attend the ceremony in Ramallah. 

Ronaldo himself will not attend the ceremony due to his appearance in the FIFA Club World Cup, but will reportedly join the festivities via video link.

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The Real Madrid striker and captain of the Portugese national team has long been known for his involvement in a number of charities and charitable events, especially those benefiting children. 

In March this year, Real Madrid invited five-year-old Ahmed Dawabsha, the lone survivor of a firebombing by Jewish extremists that killed his parents and brother, to fly to Spain to meet players from the club, including Ronaldo himself. 

Palestinian Football Association head Jibril Rajoub at the time welcomed the "superb humanitarian gesture by Real Madrid, its administration and Cristiano Ronaldo, who are restoring hope for a child who lost his entire family."

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Just a month prior, Ronaldo came under a barrage of online criticism from Palestinian supporters for appearing in a television ad for an Israeli company after taking to social media to promote his latest sponsorship deal with Israel's internet company HOT.

"There are rumors that I'm going to be a star in Israel. Not in soccer... In a HOT commercial," he wrote on Twitter and Facebook in a post accompanying a video of the related TV commercial.

The clip met a warm response from Israeli fans but also drew a torrent of abuse from Palestinians and critics of Israel's policy in the West Bank and Gaza.