London, March 8 : Cristiano Ronaldo has donated 100,000 pounds to a native Portuguese hospital that saved his mother's life against cancer.

The ace footballer gave the staggering amount to help build a cancer centre in Funchal's Hospital Central, where his mum Dolores underwent surgery to remove a lump from her right breast in 2007.

Isabel Aguiar, director of Portuguese League Against Cancer, said the Manchester United player had lived up to his word.

"I do think he made this very kind gift to us because of his mother Dolores. It is the first donation he has given us but we were expecting it - because he told us at the end of last year that he would do this," the Daily Star quoted Isabel as saying.

"We are going to build a small centre in the garden of the Hospital Central, to give support to cancer patients," she added.

A friend of the FIFA World Player of the Year said: "Cristiano will be eternally grateful to the doctors and nurses who saved his mum's life.

"He wanted to show them how much he appreciated what they did for her - and him. He knows how devastating cancer can be for both patients and their families and he wanted to do something to ease some of that suffering." (ANI)