A lucky winner who scooped EUR 200 million on the EuroMillions has donated virtually all of it to an environmental foundation he created to “save the planet”.

The winner – a French citizen named only as Guy – won EUR 200 million (GBP 167 million) – the second-largest sum ever – on 11th December 2020.

Now he has revealed that he is donating the vast majority of the money to an environmental protection foundation called Anyama.

He reportedly discreetly created the foundation about a year ago.

Guy told the newspaper Le Parisien that he wanted to remain anonymous and discreet, adding that he created Anyama to “save the planet”.

He said: “I have transferred the majority of my winnings and will progressively give the near totality of it” to the foundation.

Guy added: “I don’t want to be known.”

He explained that all he wanted was to “continue to live peacefully in complete discretion”.

Isabelle Cesari, of the Francaise des Jeux – the operator of France’s National Lottery games – said: “We have never seen an initiative of this size, but there again, we have rarely seen such high winnings. Often, these things go hand-in-hand.”

Guy – who will only speak to the media by email – said: “Over the course of my life, I have witnessed, in the Ivory Coast, the incessant transportation by lorries of trees cut down in Burkina Faso, previously known as Upper Volta.

“This ballet of lorries left a strong impression on me.”

The name of the foundation, Anyama, is in tribute to a city in the Ivory Coast where the lucky winner reportedly spent time as a child.

Anyama counts an estimated 101,000 inhabitants and is located approximately 10 kilometres from Abidjan, which is the country’s economic capital.

Guy said: “I lived in this region of the Ivory Coast during my childhood for a few years. I have moving memories of it and lots of nostalgia.”

But rather than enjoy the spotlight, Guy said: “What is important are the actions supported by Anyama and the positive impact that they will generate for everyone.”