Many international sports stars expressed their sympathy and solidarity with the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck large areas of Turkey and Syria, while some of them took the initiative to provide material assistance.
In this context, the Turkish soccer player, Merih Demiral, announced the sale of jersey number of his former Juventus colleagues in a charity auction to collect donations for the victims of the devastating earthquake in Turkey.
Merih Demiral confirmed that all proceeds will be donated to the Turkish Ahbab Association for use in the earthquake zone.
Demiral, who plays for the Italian club Atalanta, started the auction of the signed jerseys via Twitter. He first approached former teammate Ronaldo who shared his concerns about the victims and agreed to auction off his shirt to raise money.
Demiral sold Ronaldo’s shirt for $212,450, the highest bid.
The efforts of the current Atalanta defender quickly caught the attention of fans and football stars around the world. People began bidding on signed jerseys, and other soccer stars began donating signed jerseys to fundraisers.
The list continues to grow— so far, football stars who have sent their signature jersey for the campaign include—Erling Holland, Neymar Jr., Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Karim Benzema, among others.
At dawn on Monday, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria, followed by another, hours later with a magnitude of 7.6 and hundreds of violent aftershocks, which caused loss of lives and property in both countries.
