COVID-19: Statue of Alex wears mask and gloves

ISTANBUL

Turkish football club Fenerbahce's fans clothed the statue of their former star Alex de Souza from Brazil with a mask and gloves to raise awareness for the protection from the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19.

A group of fans gathered together around the statue of Alex on Friday to raise awareness for the fight against COVID-19.

The statue is located near the club's Ulker Stadium in Istanbul's Kadikoy district.

Former Brazil attacking midfielder, Alex, 42, also shared a photo of his statue with the mask and gloves on his Instagram account to thank the fans.

Having become a legendary player in Turkey with his impressive performance for Fenerbahce, Alex scored 171 goals and made 146 assists in 344 matches during his nine-season spell with the Istanbul club.

Alex moved to Fenerbahce from Brazil's Cruzeiro in July 2004 and left the Turkish club in October 2012.

The former Fenerbahce captain retired from football in December 2014 as he last played for Brazilian Serie A club Coritiba.

The statue of the Brazilian player in Kadikoy was fully funded by Fenerbahce supporters and opened on Sep. 15, 2012.

The virus, which emerged in Wuhan, China last December, has spread to at least 163 countries and regions around the globe, while the tally of confirmed cases exceeded 245,000, with a death toll of over 10,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.

In all, more than 86,000 people diagnosed with COVID-19 have recovered from the disease so far.