International soccer stars take Ice Bucket Challenge

International soccer jumped on the Ice Bucket Challenge bandwagon in a big way this week with dozens of standouts -- including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Steven Gerrard, Vincent Kompany, Neymar, Mario Balotelli, David Beckham and Galaxy star Robbie Keane -- all agreeing to get wet to support the fight against ALS.

Beckham, wearing jeans and a baseball cap, was the most adventurous, allowing three friends to dump a huge barrel of icy water over him as he knelt in a park. Before taking the plunge, Beckham challenged actor Leonardo DiCaprio and basketball legends Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan to do the same.

Gerrard, befitting his role as captain of both his club team, Liverpool, and the English national team, barely flinched as a cooler of ice water was poured over his head. Brazilian World Cup star David Luiz was equally unfazed.

Messi, on the other hand, screamed and ran out of the frame when the water hit his shoulders.

But perhaps the most interesting video came from Ronaldo, the global underwear model who also happens to be soccer’s World Player of the Year. The Portuguese striker, who plays for Real Madrid, was recorded sitting in a chair near his team’s dugout, naked expect for a pair of extremely brief briefs. After Ronaldo challenges singers Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Lil Wayne to take the plunge themselves, teammates pour two trash cans full of water over him.

The Ice Bucket Challenge was started by Pete Frates, a former Boston College baseball player who suffers from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The campaign has raised more than $23 million for research into finding a cure for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.