Germany World Cup winner Mesut Ozil confirmed overnight that he has handed over his winnings to support the surgery of 23 children in Brazil, having already donated money ahead of the tournament to 11 sick children.

Germany’s players reportedly earned bonuses of around $434,000 each for beating Argentina in the final and securing the nation’s fourth World Cup trophy.

There had been conflicting reports that Ozil had donated his share to relief efforts in Gaza after conflict and tensions there escalated in recent days.

But the Arsenal midfielder put those rumours to bed with his Facebook post, and his agent, Roland Eitel, confirmed all reports of that nature were “not true”.

"Maybe in the future, who knows? He donated money to causes in Brazil and he is now on holiday,” Eitel told the International Business Times.

Meanwhile, runner-up Argentina was also been inspired to donate its cash to a similar cause at home.

Those players are believed to have won around $140,000 each in losing the Rio final, and Argentine newspaper El Dia reported that captain Lionel Messi and star defender Javier Mascherano urged their team-mates to give it all to Garrahan, a paediatric hospital in the capital, Buenos Aires, via Messi’s charitable foundation.

The hospital confirmed it will use the windfall to build a centre to help young cancer patients, which it plans to open in March next year.

Chairman of the board at the hospital, Marcelo Scopinaro, said: "The new sector will mean more comfort and better quality of care for children with cancer.

"We have a very good relationship with Messi because he knows the importance of medicine in pediatrics and recognises it is a highly complex field. He is constantly working with us."