Germany's star forward Mesut Ozil is celebrating his World Cup victory different than most. Ozil donated his entire World Cup salary so that 23 ill Brazilian children could have the surgeries they needed.

Initially Ozil was slated to pay for 11 surgeries, but he later changed his mind and based the number 23 on the amount of players it took the Germans to win the World Cup.

Ozil posted to his Facebook page, "Prior to the World Cup, I supported the surgery of 11 sick children. Since the victory in the World Cup is not only due to 11 players but to our whole team, I will now raise the number to 23."

Charity from world-class athletes is nothing new, but some go above and beyond the usual call of duty. We've complied a list of the top acts of charity carried out by World Cup athletes.

English National Squad Donates Match Earnings

Prior to the World Cup the English National squad donated all of their match earnings to The Bobby Moore Fund, which goes to cancer research.

Bobby Moore was a former captain of the team whose life was cut short by cancer. Cancer research is one of the biggest philanthropic endeavors for the good of mankind. With cancer affecting so many people, every dollar is a dollar spent for future generations.

Argentinian Team Supports Hospital

In the field of cancer research, the Argentinian team donated a significant amount of funds to a hospital in Buenos Aires, which specializes in pediatric cancer research. Argentina's Javier Mascherano is said to have suggested the idea, and the final donation was made through Lionel Messi's charity.

Algerian Team Donates World Cup Salaries to Gaza

The Algerian National Team made the biggest contribution to charity by giving their entire World Cup salaries to Gaza, which totaled more than $9 million. It is unclear how the Gaza Strip will use the funds, but with the recent bombing and shelling of the territory by Israel, there is a great deal of rebuilding to do.

Soccer stars are among the highest paid athletes in the world. What's great about these acts of kindness is that they were team efforts. Every player agreed on the donations, which will go to helping the less fortunate of the world.