Cristiano Ronaldo (38), who plays for Al Nasr in Saudi Arabia, reached out a helping hand for the earthquake in Turkiye.
‘Football Italia’ reported on the 8th (Korean time) that Turkish national team defender Merich Demiral (25), who plays for Atalanta (Italy), auctioned off a Juventus jersey signed by Ronaldo to raise funds.
More than 7,000 people were killed in the aftermath of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northwestern Syria on the 6th. Nearly 6,000 buildings collapsed in Turkiye alone, and the loss of life is expected to increase as hundreds of homes are buried under rubble.
Demiral explained that he had talked with Ronaldo about the recent earthquake in Turkey through his social network service (SNS), and that he had put up an auction of Ronaldo’s signed jersey, which he had personally owned.
Ronaldo played for Juventus from 2018 to 2021, and Demiral also worked with Ronaldo in a team from 2019.
According to Demiral, the highest bid for Ronaldo’s signed jersey soared to 14,862 euros (approximately 20 million won).
In addition, not only Ronaldo, but also Leonardo Bonucci, who was a defender of the Italian national team, donated a uniform to help in the earthquake in Turkiye.
Meanwhile, the earthquake also caused bad news in the sports world, such as the death of Ahmet Urkaslan, the goalkeeper of Malatyaspor in the Turkish second division.
Christian Arts (31), a former Ghanaian national team member who plays for Turkiye Hatayspor, was narrowly rescued after being crushed by the rubble of a building.
The ‘legend’ Volcan Demirel (42) of the Turkish national football team, Hatayspor coach, also said on social media the day before, “Please help. A lot of people are dying,” he appealed for help.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.