The biggest names in world football have come together to provide aid to those affected by the devastating earthquake in Turkey earlier this week. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Neymar Jr. and Eden Hazard have become part of Merih Demiral’s roster of player shirts to be auctioned for raising funds for the relief fund.
The Turkey and Atalanta player had solicited donations to the relief fund on Tuesday via his esports outfit, Team Demiral. It was on the same day that he confirmed that his former Serie A counterpart and five time Ballon D’or winner Cristiano Ronaldo alongside Leonardo Bonucci and Paulo Dybala had contributed their signed jerseys for auction with proceeds donated to a non-profit aiding earthquake disaster relief.
Next one @KMbappe
He wanted to support earthquake victims with our campaign.
We are selling Kylian Mbappe’s signed jersey by auction!
All proceeds from the auction will be donated to @ahbap to help victims of the earthquake in Türkiye 🇹🇷
many thanks to @hakanc10 pic.twitter.com/QLuirPPRhZ
— Merih Demiral (@Merihdemiral) February 10, 2023
Demiral’s roster of players then expanded to Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata, Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski.
Friday saw the likes of World Cup winning captain Lionel Messi, his Paris Saint Germain teammates Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr, Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard and the Manchester City striker Erling Haaland donate their shirts for the cause.
As of the last update, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus number 7 jersey fetched the highest bid at around $212,450.
Apart from Demiral, football bodies have been looking to play their part in donating funds and essentials to those in need in the aftermath of the Mw 7.8 quake in Turkey and Syria on Monday.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) on Friday announced a donation of 200,000 euros (around $214,000) to support humanitarian efforts in Turkey and Syria. The football governing body also announced a 150,000 euro donation (around $160,000) to the Turkish Football Federation and 50,000 euros (close to $54,000) to two organizations helping disaster response in southern Turkey and Syria.