Messi, Neymar goals worth 10,000 meals

Each goal scored by Argentina captain Lionel Messi or Brazilian superstar Neymar at the upcoming World Cup will lead to 10,000 meals being donated to school children in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The initiative was taken yesterday by MasterCard as a method to battle childhood hunger and malnutrition in those regions. The programme will run until March 2020, with each goal in official tournaments (such as La Liga, Champions League, Copa del Rey and FIFA tournaments) resulting in 10,000 meals being donated to the United Nations World Food Programme.

"I'm proud to be a part of this campaign that will help change the lives of thousands of children in my country and other regions of the world. I hope this initiative gives as many smiles as possible to all the children," Messi said of the campaign.

Neymar was also pleased with the initiative, saying: "I'm happy I can help make sure that children in the region can have a plate of food and more hope. Latin Americans know we can do great things when we come together, and this is an example of that. Together we can fight hunger."

With both superstars the bookmakers' favourites to finish among the top-scorers, plenty of children will be well-fed throughout the showpiece event in Russia.