Here’s How Good Samaritans Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi Stepped Up in Raising Funds as Turkey and Syria Recover From Major Earthquake

Massive earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria this week. It killed thousands, leaving many under the rubble. The rescue works are going on with aid arriving from worldwide. The soccer world is not behind in help, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi helping raise money to aid the victims in the affected countries.

Turkish international Merih Demiral is at the center of raising funds through his professional eSports outfit Team Demiral. He started the fundraising campaign on Tuesday, and a good deal of famous soccer stars supported his campaign by donating their signed jerseys toward fundraising.  

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi participated in the fundraising

Demiral, in his efforts to help the earthquake victims, started the auctions of the signed jerseys of soccer stars through Twitter. He first took to his former teammate Ronaldo who shared his concerns about the victims and agreed to auction his jersey to raise funds. Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci and AS Roma forward Paulo Dybala soon followed suit by donating their jerseys to the campaign started by their former teammate. 

The efforts of the current Atalanta defender soon caught the eye of fans and soccer stars worldwide. People started to bid for the signed jerseys, and other soccer stars started to donate their signed jerseys for fundraising. French World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann and his Atletico Madrid teammate Alvaro Morata sent their jerseys for auction on Wednesday. 

The list kept increasing as on Thursday, Tottenham Hotspur duo Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski donated their jerseys. To date, the soccer stars who have sent their signed jerseys for the campaign include Erling Haaland, Neymar Jr., Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, and Karim Benzema, among others.

Soccer fans worldwide are bidding for the jerseys. Team Demiral has sold the jersey of Ronaldo for $212,450, which was the highest bid.

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Meanwhile, it is not only the contribution from the soccer world. Other governing bodies and players are also contributing money to aid victims from both countries. 

Soccer world helping earthquake victims

The Union of European Football Associations on Friday donated around $214,000 to aid the victims. $160,000 will go to the Turkey Football Federation, and the remaining $ 54,000 will go to the two organizations helping the affected countries’ victims. UEFA has also pledged fundraising during the final of the Champions League. It is set to take place in the Turkish capital Istanbul this season.

The Premier League is not behind by announcing around $1.2 million in funds to aid Turkey and Syria. Other soccer stars are urging their followers to send help to the Turkish soccer federation. Demiral, who is auctioning the jerseys of soccer stars, will send the money generated to the Turkish organization Ahbap, a non-profit organization. 

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Let us know your thoughts on Turkish international Merih Demiral’s fundraising for earthquake victims.