West Brom's Salomon Rondon pays for 92-year-old's life changing surgery
The plight of a 92-year-old woman who could not afford a life-changing operation touched the heart of West Bromwich Albion striker Salomon Rondon who paid for her surgery, it has emerged.
Ana Prato has dubbed the Venezuelan footballer 'my guardian angel' after taking her first steps in five years.
The Baggies have also praised their £12 million record signing who offered to help the wheelchair-bound pensioner when he was contacted by a charity.
The player agreed to fund her medical fees, and spoke to her on Skype to break the good news.
The forward, who joined Albion 10 months ago from Russian club Zenit, was brought up in the same city – the Venezuelan capital Caracas – as Ana but in vastly different circumstances.
Rondon enjoyed a middle-class upbringing by his mother and father, a chemistry professor in a military school. But for the majority of people, life is hard, with shortages of food and medical supplies.
The player was approached by El Quirofano de la Esperanza, which arranges operations and funding for people across Latin America on low incomes who cannot afford to pay for much-needed surgery.
Rondon, 26, is seen on a promotional video by the project talking to Ana. After introducing himself, he tells her in their native Spanish: "I have good news, I want you to know that I'll help you. I want you to walk again. I want you to be able to leave the wheelchair – and straight away."
After the operation, Ana, an invalid since breaking her hip five years ago, is seen walking with the aid of a zimmer frame after the operation.
She said: "Solomon Rondon is my guardian angel. Thank you Salomon."
The charity was full of praise for the player's 'solidarity' with a struggling Venezuelan. A spokesman said: "This great footballer made Ana's dream come true. Salomon fully funded the surgery and he returned to her a smile that had been lost."
Recalling his childhood in an interview earlier this year, Rondon said he was one of the lucky ones. He remembered 'poor people, humble people, people who were struggling' . He added: "I was a kid who wanted for nothing thanks to my family."
The striker recently hit out at the Venezuelan Football Federation after its former president was arrested on suspicion of receiving bribes worth millions of dollars.
A West Bromwich Albion spokesman said today: "It is fantastic to see such a kind and generous gesture from one of our players. It is testament to Salomon's character and nature.
He has become a popular member of the squad since arriving last summer and is very highly thought of both on and off the pitch by the players, the coaches and the staff."
l The video can be seen via the website at expressandstar.com
