China's men's football team captain Hao Junmin has followed in the footstep of head coach Li Tie as the 32-year-old veteran donated 500,000 yuan (72,080 U.S. dollars) to support Wuhan's efforts to fight the spread of the coronavirus outbreak that has wreaked havoc in the Chinese city and created panic around the world.

Chinese health authorities announced on Friday morning that the number of people in China killed by the deadly epidemic rose to 213, and the World Health Organisation has declared the outbreak a global health emergency, with nearly 100 cases emerging in other countries.

The total number of confirmed cases in China reached 9,692 as of Thursday and Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, reported 30 additional deaths. Hao, who plays for Chinese Super League giants Shandong Luneng but was born and raised in Wuhan, is closely monitoring the evolving situation in his hometown.

Last week, the veteran expressed his concern over the epidemic on Weibo, saying: "Keep on going, Wuhan. Let's fight coronavirus together and win this battle."

Hao joins a growing list of Chinese footballers who have pledged to donate toward efforts to contain  the new virus. China's men's football team head coach and former Everton midfielder Li Tie pitched in one million yuan (144,161 U.S. dollars), while China's women's football team's talisman Wang Shuang contributed 600,000 yuan (86,496 U.S. dollars).

Meanwhile, Guangzhou Evergrande star Ricardo Goulart penned down an emotional note on his social media account to pray for those infected by the outbreak in China.

"We pray for the country which gave us a safe place for study, work and business, the country which we all call as our second home," said the Brazilian midfielder. 

"Let's pray for the people of China and everyone who are suffering from the virus. Pray that everyone remains safe!"

"We love China and we stand with all of you," he added.