Cristiano Ronaldo, the name itself defines class, passion, legacy and a record tally which seems almost impossible to achieve and staying true to the expectations, the player himself has always been on a lookout for setting new benchmarks, be it on the field or in his personal life.
While we can’t say that Cristiano Ronaldo has had a great start to the 2016/17 campaign and Lionel Messi, along with the Barcelona squad has been in the spotlight for their unbeaten streak but you can always trust Cristiano Ronaldo to come up with something new for the world to talk about, even if it has nothing to do with his performance.
The Real Madrid superstar has surprised his fans, for all the good reasons though, by donating the only existing replica of his 2013 Ballon d’Or award to a charity which has raised €600,000 for the Make-a-Wish Foundation at an auction.
Also Read: 5 Records That Make Cristiano Ronaldo The Greatest Footballer Ever
Every Year, the Ballon d’Or Award is given to the best performing club football and has been the most prestigious trophy that any footballer can ever hold in his hands. While the original trophy is given to the player himself, a replica is also provided to the winner, which in most cases, is given to the club he has been playing for.
The auction for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Ballon d’Or Award replica was won by Israel’s richest person, Idan Ofer, with the proceeds going to Make-a-Wish Foundation, which gives terminally ill children a chance to fulfill their dreams. While WWE Wrestler John Cena has also been part of the foundation for almost 5 years now, the foundation has been a favorite in football fraternity, as well.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation auction is one of the most exclusive charitable events in London and there is also an online art auction where huge fortunes are paid for sculptures as well as paintings. All the proceeds go as aids for the organization which has helped terminally ill children for over 35 years.
Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho were also a part of the event, raising €30,000 euros after giving off a chance to see a boxing match in Manchester, which includes a meet-and-greet with both the coaches.
As for Cristiano Ronaldo, the 2013 Ballon d’Or Award holds a special place in his heart as it was the first time he was named the best footballer in the world with Real Madrid and he specifically donated the replica the club. Having won 4 such awards, Cristiano Ronaldo was in a position to donate his Ballon d’Or replica, although Real Madrid can still commission another one to display in the club’s museum.
That being said, Ronaldo was named as the most charitable athlete in the world a couple of years back and he still is the only footballer in the world to have auctioned his Golden Boot award in 2012, which raised 1.5 million euros for a charity for schools in Gaza.
The Ballon d’Or Award is one of the most prestigious trophies in the world of football and many just dream about holding the award in their hand, let alone give it away for charity. That said, Lionel Messi holds the record of winning the most number of Ballon d’Or Awards, having named as the best footballer in the world, four times.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo has been leading the race for this year’s trophy due to his 2016/17 endeavors during which he became the first player to score 100 European as well as Champions League goals while Real Madrid became the first team, to successfully defend the Champions League trophy and then registering a European double.